This Day in History:, 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.<br />September 11, 2001.<br />Masterminded by Saudi national Osama bin Laden, <br />four American airplanes were hijacked by <br />19 members of the terrorist group, al Qaeda. .<br />The terrorists flew two of the planes <br />into the Twin Towers of the <br />World Trade Center in New York City. .<br />Hours later, <br />a deeply shocked nation watched the <br />collapse of the Twin Towers live on national television. .<br />A third plane was flown into the <br />west side of the <br />Pentagon military headquarters. .<br />Passengers on the fourth plane, <br />United Flight 93, overtook the terrorists. <br />The plane crashed into a Shanksville, PA, field<br />rather than its unknown target. .<br />Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, <br />the most significant in American history. .<br />Nearly 10,000 people who were exposed <br />to the debris of the fallen towers have been <br />diagnosed with 9/11-related cancer. .<br />The economic toll of the attacks <br />has approached $1 trillion. .<br />In response to 9/11, <br />the Department of Homeland Security <br />was created. .<br />On the ten-year anniversary of the attack, <br />the World Trade Center memorial <br />"Reflecting Absence" was opened to the public
