Timeline beyond October following the September 11 attacks
Thursday, November 1, 2001
- Afternoon: Deputy Mayor Anthony P. Coles holds discussions with firefighter union representatives Fire Capt. Peter L. Gorman and Kevin E. Gallagher at New York City Hall to address their concerns regarding the October 31 decision.
- Evening: Firefighter unions inform their members about a demonstration planned for the following morning.
- Just before midnight: Rudy Giuliani contacts Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen from Yankee Stadium to discuss the ongoing protest situation.
Friday, November 2, 2001
- At approximately 10:30 a.m. EST, a gathering of several hundred to a thousand firefighters near City Hall escalates into unrest in response to Giuliani’s October 31 directive reducing firefighter presence at the World Trade Center site from 64 to 25 personnel. Following speeches by firefighter Mike Heffernan, retired captain Bill Butler, and Uniformed Firefighters Association president Kevin E. Gallagher, demonstrators breach barricades, prompting police intervention and multiple arrests. The protest concludes around 12:30 p.m., with construction workers joining in support.
- A total of 12 firefighters are detained, including four officers of higher rank and one fire marshal; five police officers suffer injuries.
Monday, November 12, 2001
- At about 9:16 a.m. EST, American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in Belle Harbor, Queens, resulting in the deaths of all 260 passengers and crew aboard as well as five individuals on the ground. While initially suspected to be an act of terrorism and claimed by Al-Qaeda, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines pilot error as the cause, specifically aggressive rudder inputs following wake turbulence from a preceding Japan Airlines Boeing 747 at JFK Airport. These rudder movements caused structural metal fatigue leading to the vertical stabilizer’s separation and subsequent loss of control. Precautionary evacuations are conducted at landmarks including the Empire State Building and United Nations headquarters. Later claims of Al-Qaeda involvement remain unverified.
Monday, November 19, 2001
- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is officially formed.
Sunday, December 16, 2001
- The last remaining sections of the North Tower’s exterior facade are removed.
Thursday, December 20, 2001
- The final fires burning at the World Trade Center site are fully extinguished.
Sunday, February 3, 2002
- Super Bowl XXXVI is held in New Orleans, marking the first sporting event designated as a National Special Security Event by the Department of Homeland Security. The pregame and halftime ceremonies pay tribute to victims of the September 11 attacks.
Friday, February 8, 2002
- During the opening ceremony in Salt Lake City, American athletes and emergency responders carry a damaged American flag recovered from the World Trade Center site into the stadium.
Monday, March 11, 2002
- Six months after the attacks, numerous memorial ceremonies take place.
- Huffman Aviation receives notification that Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi had been granted student visas for enrollment.
- The Tribute in Light installation is initiated, illuminating the skyline for a month; it is subsequently reactivated every September 11 to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks.
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
- Recovery teams uncover the remains of at least eleven firefighters along with several civilians at the former lobby area of the South Tower.
Tuesday, May 28, 2002
- The final steel beam at the World Trade Center site is ceremoniously removed and transported, signifying the conclusion of the Ground Zero cleanup efforts.
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
- To honor Britain's solidarity following the attacks, New York City illuminates the Empire State Building in purple and gold in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee.
Monday, August 19, 2002
- The New York City Medical Examiner revises the World Trade Center casualty list to 2,819 individuals killed or missing—four fewer than the Police Department's prior count. One entry was removed due to duplication under both maiden and married names; three others were excluded after no further contact was established with reporting parties.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
- Authorities confirm that Albert John Vaughan, aged 45, and George V. Sims, aged 46—previously listed as missing and presumed deceased—are alive. Vaughan is receiving treatment at Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, while Sims remains hospitalized in Manhattan with amnesia and schizophrenia.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
- The Newark Star-Ledger reports that George V. Sims is alive. By this date, at least seven individuals from the August 19 list have been located; the confirmed death toll stands at 2,812 killed or presumed dead.
Saturday, September 7, 2002
- The New York City Medical Examiner issues an updated World Trade Center fatality list removing 22 names; the revised total is now 2,801, which includes victims aboard the airplanes but excludes hijackers.
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
- The United States escalates security measures to a high alert level ahead of the anniversary; countries such as Great Britain implement similar precautions.
- Al-Jazeera publishes footage featuring four September 11 hijackers—Ahmed al-Nami, Hamza al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, and Wail al-Shehri—speaking directly on camera.
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
- Commemorative events take place nationwide to observe the first anniversary of September 11.
- The New York City ceremony is broadcast worldwide with a delay and includes reading all victims' names (both from planes and towers), recitations of historic addresses like the Gettysburg Address, moments of silence timed to impacts (8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m.), and church bells tolling at collapse times (9:59 a.m. and 10:29 a.m.). International dignitaries gather in Battery Park for the lighting of the eternal flame at sunset. President George W. Bush delivers a national address from Ellis Island afterward.
- A private service at The Pentagon, attended by President Bush, features a prayer referencing Todd Beamer's "Let's roll" statement.
- At Shanksville, large crowds participate in public ceremonies including flyovers and dove releases; President Bush later attends a private gathering for families of Flight 93 victims.
- In Karachi, Pakistani officials apprehend terrorist suspect Ramzi bin al-Shibh along with four others at a residence in the Defence Housing Authority. Bin al-Shibh is wanted by U.S. authorities for his role in the September 11 attacks; his arrest is publicly announced two days later with photographs showing him blindfolded.
Thursday, September 26, 2002
- The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation appoints six global architectural teams to participate in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.
Friday, September 27, 2002
- New York City renames a total of 81 streets—79 located in Staten Island and two in Manhattan—as a tribute to the victims.
- The New York Department of Environmental Conservation enforces the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for construction machinery operating at the World Trade Center site.
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
- The design by Daniel Libeskind is chosen for the redevelopment of the former World Trade Center site, which includes an office tower and a Wedge of Light memorial that commemorates victims by dimming lights annually on September 11. This plan integrates the original WTC foundations.
March 1, 2003
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, identified as the architect behind the attacks, is apprehended by Pakistan’s ISI and handed over to U.S. authorities.
Sunday, July 4, 2004
- The foundation stone for One World Trade Center, designed to replace the Twin Towers, is officially laid.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
- The 9/11 Commission Report is released to the public.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
- Groundbreaking commences on One World Trade Center.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
- The new 7 World Trade Center officially opens its doors in New York City.
Monday, September 11, 2006
- CNN broadcasted live footage of the attacks as originally shown on September 11, 2001. At precisely 8:49 a.m. ET during American Morning, CNN replayed its initial coverage.
- From 8:52 a.m. to midnight ET, MSNBC aired national NBC News coverage as a "Living History Event," a tradition repeated every year since.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The United States formally charges Khalid Sheikh Mohammed along with four others, pursuing the death penalty in their case.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
During his visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI tours the World Trade Center site, becoming the first pope to do so since the attacks.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
One World Trade Center construction reaches street level.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
On the seventh anniversary of September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush dedicates the Pentagon Memorial.
Friday, November 13, 2009
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announces that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial will be transferred from a military commission to the civilian U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
District Judge Alvin Hellerstein approves a $700 million settlement agreement between the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company and approximately 95% of plaintiffs seeking compensation for first responders exposed to hazardous dust at Ground Zero.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
President Barack Obama enacts the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, creating the World Trade Center Health Program to support those affected.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Attorney General Holder moves the KSM trial back under military jurisdiction.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda and the architect behind the September 11 attacks, is killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan. President Barack Obama announces his death during a nationwide address.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The tenth anniversary of the attacks is observed with commemorative events. The National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center is dedicated in a ceremony attended by President Obama, former President Bush, their spouses, and government officials. The Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania is unveiled a day prior with Vice President Joe Biden in attendance.
The NFL holds its first Sunday games since the attacks. The headline matchup features the New York Giants visiting the Washington Redskins, while the Dallas Cowboys face off against the New York Jets. Each game begins with moments of silence.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
A U.S. military court led by Colonel James L. Pohl arraigns Khalid Sheikh Mohammed along with five suspected co-conspirators.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The primary structure of 1 World Trade Center reaches its full height at 104 floors.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The Journal of the American Medical Association publishes research revealing an elevated cancer risk associated with exposure to the events of 9/11.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Completion of One World Trade Center is marked by installing its spire at a symbolic height of 1,776 feet, making it the tallest building in both the United States and Western Hemisphere.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
The new 4 World Trade Center officially opens its doors.
Friday, May 2, 2014
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit determines that American Airlines Group Inc., United Continental Holdings, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and Larry Silverstein are not liable for environmental damage claims related to 9/11 under Superfund law, citing classification of the attacks as an act of war.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
A private dedication ceremony for the National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site is held with families of victims. The museum includes a repository for unidentified remains from the attacks and opens to the public six days later.
Monday, November 3, 2014
One World Trade Center officially begins tenant occupancy as Condé Nast moves into the building.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
The U.S. Supreme Court denies Cedar & Washington’s petition in their legal case.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
The World Trade Center Transportation Hub officially opens to the public.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Liberty Park is inaugurated at the World Trade Center location.
Friday, July 15, 2016
The U.S. government releases the previously classified "28 pages" from the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after September 11, disclosing that al-Qaeda received support from individuals connected to the Saudi government.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Events commemorating the 15th anniversary of the attacks take place, including a vigil at the World Trade Center attended by presidential contenders Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
On this date, the NFL schedules its first Sunday games: the Cincinnati Bengals compete against the New York Jets early in the day, followed by a matchup between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Washington Redskins on Monday night during prime time.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Congress enacts the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, overriding President Barack Obama’s veto—the only veto override during his administration—allowing September 11 victims to file lawsuits against the Saudi Arabian government for their role in the attacks.
Monday, June 11, 2018
The newly constructed 3 World Trade Center officially opens its doors.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Following reconstruction, the WTC Cortlandt station, which was destroyed during the attacks, reopens for service.
Monday, July 29, 2019
President Donald Trump signs into law the Never Forget the Heroes Act, granting permanent authorization to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Friday, August 30, 2019
The trial in United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is set to commence on January 11, 2021.
Friday, December 18, 2020
A judge postpones indefinitely the U.S. vs. KLM trial due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday, September 10, 2021
After multiple postponements, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church partially reopens and is illuminated as part of an outdoor memorial ahead of the twentieth anniversary observances.
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Nationwide commemorations honor the twentieth anniversary of the attacks. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, along with former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and their spouses as well as other dignitaries attend a ceremony at New York’s National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Vice President Kamala Harris and former president George W. Bush participate in a memorial event at Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley lead a simultaneous service at the Pentagon Memorial.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
A drone strike at his residence in Kabul results in the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda's second leader and a principal architect of the September 11 attacks. President Biden announces his demise on August 1.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Regular worship services resume at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Nicholas.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
The Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center, a $500 million project, officially opens its doors at the World Trade Center location.
Friday, August 2, 2024
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin cancels a plea agreement involving three individuals charged with conspiring in the September 11 attacks, reinstating the trial as one eligible for capital punishment.
Monday, August 12, 2024
Joseph W. Pfeifer announces his retirement from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).
2027
The anticipated completion date for the new 2 World Trade Center building.
2028
Projected completion year for the new 5 World Trade Center structure.