Where were you on 9/11?

[JorisBonson]

I was 16 and at college, having a rip roaring time in the student union bar with my fake ID.

Noticed a few people gathered round a small TV after the first plane hit. The union ended up pulling down the projector screen usually reserved for football, just as the second plane hit. We sat there for hours and hours just watching and not believing what we were seeing.

Can't believe it's been 20 years.

Sitting on the tarmac at Heathrow waiting to take off for a year in the States (California), my first time travelling along. We were waiting for about an hour or so before we were told a plane had flown into a building in NY and American airspace was closed - obviously it must have only just happened, so there wasn't really any detail available, but I think everyone realised when they said the airspace was closed that it was something really major. Then total chaos in the airport trying to get accommodation/transport etc sorted out, seeing snippets on screens around the airport...wasn't until I finally got to a hotel that I realised fully what had happened.
My mum tried to persuade me to return home and cancel the year overseas...didn't happen of course, I spent a week in London then eventually flew out.

I'd just dropped DD to nursery and put DS down for a nap. Had my lunch watching the lunchtime news just as it all began. Hard to believe it's 20 years ago.

I had just started Year 10 at school. I'd had an art lesson.

My mum picked me up (unusual as I got the bus most days) and she told me. I remember looking a little notebook in the car, with a hologram cover with dolphins on it, as she told me what had happened.

I remember it very vividly.

I did ask what the World Trade Centre was as I didn't know!

In Italy at home.
The Monday evening, I'd treated myself to a video recorder and when I went to work on the Tuesday afternoon, I set it to just record whatever was on to see if it worked.
Got back, turned what I thought was a film on. I can even remember I was crouched on the floor fiddling with the recorder and looking up at the telly, and saw "CNN America Under Attack" ticker tape, and the skyline and one tower with smoke.
I thought it was a film for about 10 minutes because I was faffing about.

My other abiding memory of that week is the 2 minute international silence on the Friday lunchtime. In the flat above me there were noisy builders and i just imagined they'd carry on working. They didn't. They stopped.

I also remember phoning my Mum or her phoning me the day after and she'd gone to her usual sports club on the Tuesday evening and out for a pub meal and they knew nothing till someone there said something. I think that's hard to imagine these days. That something so momentous was unfolding and unless you watched TV or listened to the radio all day, you could not know!

I was in my second week of teaching a year 2 class as an NQT. I worked in a Roman Catholic school, which had a very high proportion of RC pupils. I didn't know about it until the end of the school day, when we watched TV in the school hall (one of those trolley TVs we used to trundle up and down the corridor!)

I had one Muslim child in my class. The next morning, all of the children knew what had happened. Several came into class and used phrases they had heard at home, such as 'The Muslims did it'. It was a very tricky time for that boy.

Second job in open-plan office - eating lunch at desks we all started watching BBC and other news sites though first reports weren't clear but saw second plane hit - very quickly started to find webpages pages freezing or dropping out- TV was turned on in conference room.

As afternoon went on turned out the managers knew people on one the planes - people from our parent company.

I watched a TV program last night with the kids about it and it was shocking for them though they know it happened.

The program was more about the US government was doing. Bush fighting to get back to washington and being put off - how little they knew and how they were watching the news channels to find out what was going on in early stages as they were seeing more how several key people were literally picked up and grabbed by secret service - how they were using up all the oxygen in the bunker under white house and starting to feel the effects it was interesting in a worrying kind of way.

I was a SAHM with 3 small children. I picked my eldest up from school and took them all to the park, and got talking to a lovely woman. Stayed there for an hour or more. When I got home my answer phone was bleeping and I found out family had been trying to contact me. I was oblivious to it all until my dad told me to switch the TV on. He had been quite cross about not being able to contact me (I believe my brother was in the USA - not NY or Washington - at the time and he wanted to know if I had heard from him). I was irritated that he was cross with me and thought he was overreacting. Anyway, I switched the tv on and found out what was going on. My little kids thought it was a film and were quite amused by the falling towers.

In Corfu, had spent the day on a boat trip with current BF. Had landed and was on way back to apartment for much needed pee when I noticed the crowds outside the beach bar and crammed inside watching the large TV screen. Horrifying realisation it was not a film.

I was living and working in Bermuda and had a day off - the plan was to go to the travel agents and book flights to NYC for a weekend away with my housemate (who's from NYC) she called me and said have you seen the news? I hadn't heard much about the Twin Towers at that point of my life so didn't fully appreciate it.

I subsequently lost my job as 90% of our clients were from NYC as it's only 1.5hrs away by plane to Bermuda.

So sad.

I was 16 at the time and at my first day of college. Didn't find out until I got home later that day though

I was on a graduate scheme and we were at a residential course learning all about US personal taxation from our NY based colleagues who had flown over.

I was covering reception for the pharmaceutical company I worked for in Cambridge. We had the news websites open at the time and watched in disbelief as it all unfurled.

It's one of the clearest memories I have.

@beguilingeyes I was at Barclays in the City. We did get sent home early about 3pm.

I walked back to my flat past the Natwest Tower - lots of rumours and everyone was glancing up as they walked. It was a really odd atmosphere on Bishopshate.

At work in a large office block in London. At the time we always had a news channel on a large TV in reception (with the sound off). I remember the news spreading round the office and people standing in the reception area in silence and disbelief watching the news unfold. We heard that some of Canary Wharf was being evacuated and were told that the bosses were taking advice on whether it was safe for us to stay at work. My overriding memory was how quiet everyone seemed- the usual chatter and laughter, even of the tube on the way home, seemed to be missing

At work in central London - we were sent home early. People believed that London would be next.

Heard people talking about it on the bus but had no idea what the twin towers were or the enormity of what happened. I was in care at the time and my on/off boyfriend had smashed up his room then passed out. I sat watching the repeats on the news surrounded by broken glass and smashed furniture feeling utterly miserable.

I hadn't long turned 16 and was working in an office on an apprenticeship and my bosses cousin kept ringing telling us to put the TV on.

I was 24 and at work. Someone came in and said a bomb had gone off at the World Trade Centre. Then later people were saying it was a plane crash. I don’t remember watching the news when I got home. I suppose I did, but I don’t remember.

At home with my DH we were off work as we were due to fly to Greece a couple of days later. We were just watching Tv when it came on. Absolutely devastating. I went to the 9/11 museum 18 months ago and it’s very sombre but I’m so glad I went.
I remember big delays to our flight to Greece & people complaining about it as though the world hasn’t just completely changed 🙄.

I actually don't know. Apparently everyone remembers exactly where they were and what they did that day (age allowing of course.)
I was 17 so probably at 6th form. I vaguely remember seeing/being told about it. I didn't know what the twins towers were. I didn't understand what the world trade centre was (actually I still don't really). And I'm ashamed to say I didn't really care because I didn't understand the importance of it.

I can however recall almost every detail of the day Princess Diana died.

I was pregnant with dd1, my first baby and I was working in a call centre for home shopping. The guy I was speaking to told me that planes had just flown into the Twin Towers.

I was 11, in my final year of primary school, and I came home to find my mum watching the news.

I'm neurodivergent with an incredibly poor memory and entire chunks of my childhood are missing so I don't remember much about it, even though I wasn't particularly young at the time. I've since learned a huge amount about it and have watched documentary after documentary but I certainly didn't understand the significance or impact at the time.

Working for an American media company we all watched in complete shock in the ceo's office. I remember mumbling this is war.
My boss who was American lost her good friend that day she was in the second building on the phone with her mum when the plane hit. All very sad.
Going home on the train was dreadfully quiet (London) I think it was a no fly zone by then.
Never forget

With DH in Bridewell police station in Bristol.
We'd come out of Waterstones and our bikes had been nicked.
Walked to the police station to report it and the desk sergeant looked as though he had tears in his eyes. It was so strange. He was looking over his shoulder at a screen behind us on the wall. When we turned around the towers were on the screen, both still standing and the second plane hadn't hit.
We honestly couldn't work out what was happening. He explained. Utterly surreal.
We got home to see the final tower fall. Hideous day, horrific imagery and an awful realisation that people can be so completely evil.

I was at work. We always have the radio on and they said a plane had hit one of the towers. We thought it was a tiny plane and thought it must be a tragic accident. When it was reported a second plane hit we put the tv on. Not much work happened that afternoon.