September 11 is day 254 of the year, or 255 in a leap year, with 111 days remaining. In the United States, it is Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance. It falls on a Saturday in 2027 and a Monday in 2028.
Table of Contents
September 11, 2001
On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda hijackers seized four commercial aircraft.
Two were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and one crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew attempted to retake the aircraft.
2,977 people were killed, not counting the hijackers. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum gives the breakdown as 2,753 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 aboard United Airlines Flight 93, with the dead drawn from 90 nations (9/11 Memorial & Museum). Among them were 343 New York City firefighters (Britannica).
Two qualifications belong with that number.
Some published figures are higher because they include the hijackers. Accounts giving 189 dead at the Pentagon and 44 aboard Flight 93 are counting the five and four hijackers on those aircraft. The 2,977 total excludes all nineteen.
The figure has been revised repeatedly and is not exact. The New York toll stood at 2,801 on the first anniversary, fell to 2,792 when duplicate and erroneous names were removed, and fell again to 2,752 in late 2003. The overall total was reckoned at 2,976 before a later revision to 2,977. Britannica notes the exact number is not definitively known because of continuing uncertainty about how many died at the World Trade Center (Britannica).
The consequences shaped the following two decades: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the USA PATRIOT Act, and a permanent change in civil aviation security worldwide. Deaths attributed to illnesses arising from exposure at Ground Zero have since continued to accumulate.
Patriot Day was established by Congress in 2001. It is a national day of observance rather than a federal holiday: flags are flown at half-staff and a moment of silence is observed at 8:46 a.m.
Eastern, but offices, banks, and schools remain open. In 2009, Congress additionally designated it a National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Key Figures and Toll
- 2,977 victims: The total number of people killed in the coordinated terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (excluding the 19 hijackers).
- 2,753 killed at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.
- 184 killed at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia (125 in the building and 59 aboard American Airlines Flight 77).
- 40 passengers and crew killed aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
- 441 first responders: Among those who died in New York City were 343 firefighters (FDNY), 71 law enforcement officers (including 23 NYPD and 37 Port Authority Police officers), and 8 private EMTs/paramedics.
- 19 hijackers: Four commercial airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda operatives.
- 102 minutes: The total duration between the impact of American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower at 8:46 AM and the collapse of the North Tower at 10:28 AM.
- 93 countries: The international reach of the casualties; citizens from over 90 foreign nations died in the attacks.
The Four Flights
| Flight | Aircraft | Departure Point & Target | Crash Time & Site | Key Details |
| American Airlines 11 | Boeing 767 | Boston (BOS) $\rightarrow$ Los Angeles (LAX) | 8:46 AM WTC North Tower (Floors 93–99) | First plane to hit; severed all stairwells, trapping everyone above floor 91. |
| United Airlines 175 | Boeing 767 | Boston (BOS) $\rightarrow$ Los Angeles (LAX) | 9:03 AM WTC South Tower (Floors 77–85) | Captured live on international television; one stairwell (Stairwell A) remained passable. |
| American Airlines 77 | Boeing 757 | Dulles (IAD) $\rightarrow$ Los Angeles (LAX) | 9:37 AM The Pentagon | Struck the western facade of the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. |
| United Airlines 93 | Boeing 757 | Newark (EWR) $\rightarrow$ San Francisco (SFO) | 10:03 AM Shanksville, PA field | Passengers fought back to breach the cockpit; plane crashed before reaching Washington, D.C. |
Structural and Economic Impact
- 1.8 million tons: Total tonnage of wreckage and debris removed from the 16-acre World Trade Center site during the recovery effort.
- 8 months and 19 days: The duration of the cleanup effort at “Ground Zero,” which officially concluded on May 30, 2002.
- 3 major skyscrapers collapsed on 9/11:
- 2 WTC (South Tower): Collapsed at 9:59 AM after burning for 56 minutes.
- 1 WTC (North Tower): Collapsed at 10:28 AM after burning for 102 minutes.
- 7 WTC (47-story tower): Collapsed at 5:20 PM due to uncontrolled fires ignited by falling debris from the North Tower.
- ~$60 billion: Estimated direct economic and property loss to New York City and the insurance industry.
- Operation Yellow Ribbon: Over 250 commercial flights were diverted to Canadian airports when U.S. airspace was grounded (SCATANA) for the first time in history; Gander, Newfoundland alone welcomed roughly 6,700 passengers.
Long-Term Health and Aftermath
- 71,000+ individuals: Number of rescue and recovery workers, residents, and school children registered in the federal World Trade Center Health Program due to chronic toxic dust exposure (asbestos, silica, lead, and jet fuel combustion products).
- 432+ additional FDNY members: The number of firefighters and rescue personnel who have since died from certified 9/11-related illnesses in the years following the disaster—now surpassing the number killed on the day itself.
- Federal designations: Declared Patriot Day by joint resolution of Congress on December 18, 2001.
- Designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.
What day of the week is September 11?
September 11 is day 254 in a common year and day 255 in a leap year.
| Year | Day of week |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday |
| 2027 | Saturday |
| 2028 | Monday |
| 2029 | Tuesday |
| 2030 | Wednesday |
| 2031 | Thursday |
| 2032 | Saturday |
| 2033 | Sunday |
| 2034 | Monday |
| 2035 | Tuesday |
September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday. The next date falls on a Tuesday in 2029.
Observances on September 11
Check out National Days in September 2027.
| Observance | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Patriot Day | United States | Day of observance, not a federal holiday |
| National Day of Service and Remembrance | United States | Designated 2009 |
| Enkutatash, New Year | Ethiopia, Eritrea | Ethiopian calendar new year |
| National Day of Catalonia, La Diada | Catalonia | |
| Teachers’ Day | Argentina |
September 11 is Enkutatash, the Ethiopian new year, in most years — the Ethiopian calendar runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian and begins on this date except in years preceding an Ethiopian leap year.
Other historical events on September 11
1297 — Scottish forces under Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated a larger English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on the River Forth. The English crossed a bridge wide enough for two horsemen abreast; the Scots let roughly 2,000 across, then attacked and cut off the rest (Wikipedia; contemporary accounts).
1609 — Henry Hudson, commanding the Dutch vessel Halve Maen, sailed into the harbour of present-day New York and up the river that now bears his name (Mental Floss; Big Day in History).
1697 — Forces under Prince Eugene of Savoy decisively defeated Ottoman troops at the Battle of Zenta, in present-day Serbia (Wikipedia, Selected Anniversaries).
1789 — Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first United States Secretary of the Treasury (Associated Press, Today in History).
1814 — An American fleet defeated the British at the Battle of Lake Champlain during the War of 1812 (Associated Press).
1936 — Boulder Dam, now Hoover Dam, began operation when President Roosevelt pressed a key in Washington to start its first hydroelectric generator (Associated Press).
1941 — Ground was broken for the construction of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia (Associated Press; Mental Floss).
1973 — A military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the elected president of Chile, Salvador Allende, who died during the assault on the presidential palace. Pinochet’s rule lasted almost seventeen years (Familypedia; Big Day in History).
In Chile, the date carries its own weight independent of 2001. It is referred to as el 11 de septiembre or simply el once, and it names the coup rather than the attacks.
Notable births on September 11
| Year | Person | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| 1862 | O. Henry | American short story writer, born William Sydney Porter |
| 1885 | D. H. Lawrence | English novelist |
| 1917 | Ferdinand Marcos | President of the Philippines |
| 1965 | Moby | American musician |
| 1977 | Ludacris | American rapper and actor |
Zodiac sign and birthstone for September 11
September 11 falls under Virgo, which runs from about August 23 to September 22.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Zodiac sign | Virgo |
| Sign dates | About August 23 to September 22 |
| Element | Earth |
| Birthstone | Sapphire |
| Birth flowers | Aster and morning glory |
How many days until September 11?
The next September 11 falls on a Saturday in 2027. It is day 254 of the year, leaving 111 days remaining after it.
September 11, 2027 sits five days after Labor Day on Monday, September 6, and four days before the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15.
Frequently asked questions
Is September 11 a federal holiday?
No. Patriot Day is a national day of observance, not a federal holiday. Federal offices, banks, the postal service, and the stock exchanges all operate normally. Flags are flown at half-staff on federal buildings and a moment of silence is observed at 8:46 a.m. Eastern.
What day of the week was September 11, 2001?
Tuesday. The date next falls on a Tuesday in 2029. In 2027, it falls on a Saturday.
What else happened on September 11 in history?
The Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, Hamilton’s appointment as first Treasury Secretary in 1789, the Pentagon groundbreaking in 1941, and the Chilean coup of 1973. In Chile, September 11 refers to the coup rather than to the 2001 attacks, and is known there as el once.
Sources
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum, 9/11 FAQs — https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum, The Memorial — https://911memorial.org/visit/memorial
- Britannica, How many people were killed in the September 11 attacks? — https://www.britannica.com/topic/How-many-people-were-killed-in-the-September-11-attacks
- Miller Center, University of Virginia, Timeline: The September 11 terrorist attacks — https://millercenter.org/remembering-september-11/september-11-terrorist-attacks
