Archive · 10 Sep 2026
How 9/11 Reshaped a Presidency and Lower Manhattan
On September 11, 2001, airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
At first, people thought the first crash might have been an accident.
When a second plane hit, officials realized that America was under attack.
President George W. Bush was moved between several secure places while leaders responded.
He later spoke to the country from the White House.
Three days later, he visited the damaged area in New York City and thanked rescue workers.
The World Trade Center site was later rebuilt with memorials, offices and cultural buildings.
The area now remembers the people who died while also serving as a busy part of Lower Manhattan.
Journalists in Sarasota initially thought the first World Trade Center plane crash was an accident.
After the second plane hit, an aide told President George W. Bush that America was under attack.
Bush was moved from Air Force One to an underground bunker in Nebraska amid communication problems.
On September 14, Bush visited Ground Zero and spoke to rescue workers alongside Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Lower Manhattan now includes memorial pools, One World Trade Center, the Oculus and other rebuilt cultural sites.
- Who
- President George W. Bush, White House staff, journalists, rescue workers, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the victims of the September 11 attacks.
- What
- The September 11 attacks triggered an emergency presidential response and later the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.
- When
- The attacks occurred on September 11, 2001; Bush visited Ground Zero on September 14.
- Where
- The events involved Sarasota, Florida; Washington, D.C.; Nebraska; and Lower Manhattan in New York City.
- Why
- The response followed attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, while the redevelopment commemorates those killed and restores the site.
- Initial location
- A temporary press center in Sarasota, Florida, where journalists watched the first crash.
- Presidential evacuation
- George W. Bush traveled aboard Air Force One before being diverted to an underground bunker in Nebraska.
- Ground Zero visit
- Bush visited New York City on September 14 and spoke to rescue workers from a ruined firetruck.
- Memorial victims
- The memorial pools bear the names of 2,983 victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
- One World Trade Center
- The skyscraper stands 1,776 feet tall and opened in 2014.
- Oculus
- The transportation center was designed by Santiago Calatrava and connects commuter rail lines.
- Future construction
- Two World Trade Center is under construction and is slated for completion in 2031.