Al Qaeda terrorists attack World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000

Nineteen terrorists affiliated with al Qaeda hijack four commercial airplanes. Two planes crash into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse. A third plane strikes the Pentagon. Passengers attack hijackers on a fourth plane, forcing it to crash near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people from 93 nations are killed. The attacks spur President George W. Bush to declare a global War on Terror.