Today in History: September 11, al-Qaida attacks the United States

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 11, the 254th day of 2026. There are 111 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed as 19 al-Qaida hijackers seized control of four jetliners, sending two of the planes into New York’s World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the fourth into a field in western Pennsylvania. It remains the deadliest terror attack in history.

Also on this date:

In 1789, Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

In 1814, an American fleet scored a decisive victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812.

In 1936, Boulder Dam — later renamed the Hoover Dam — began operation as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a button in Washington to signal the startup of the dam’s first hydroelectric generator.

In 1941, groundbreaking took place for the Pentagon.

In 1954, the Miss America pageant made its network TV debut on ABC.

In 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende (ah-YEN’-day) died during a violent military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.

In 1985, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds broke Ty Cobb’s MLB career hits record with his 4,192nd hit.

In 2008, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama put aside politics as they visited ground zero together on the anniversary of 9/11 to honor its victims.

In 2012, a mob armed with guns and grenades launched a nightlong attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost and a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

In 2023, over 4,000 people died and thousands more were missing after heavy rain from Mediterranean Storm Daniel caused two dams to collapse, flooding the city of Derna, Libya.

Today’s Birthdays: Composer Arvo Pärt is 91. Film director Brian De Palma is 86. Singer-actor-dancer Lola Falana is 84. Musician Mickey Hart is 83. Guitarist Leo Kottke is 81. Actor Amy Madigan is 76. Rock musician Tommy Shaw (Styx) is 73. Actor Scott Patterson is 68. Actor/director Roxann Dawson is 68. Actor John Hawkes is 67. Actor Virginia Madsen is 65. Musician-composer Moby is 61. Singer Harry Connick Jr. is 59. Actor Taraji (tuh-RAH’-jee) P. Henson is 56. Rapper Ludacris is 49. Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed is 48. Country singer Charles Kelley (Lady A) is 45. Actor Elizabeth Henstridge is 39. Actor Tyler Hoechlin (HEK’-lihn) is 39. NFL wide receiver Zay Flowers is 26.