September 11: Tell Your Story

How did you witness history on September 11, 2001? What do you most remember, and how has it affected your life?

Help the Smithsonian document this historic event by sharing your September 11 experience with us. We’re interested in everyone’s experience, no matter where you were or how directly you were involved.

Photos: Jeff Christensen/Reuters - John Labriola - Doug Potoksky


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The September 11 Digital Archive

Smithsonian “September 11:
Bearing Witness to History”

Your story will be permanently archived in the September 11 Digital Archive, a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and the American Social History Project at the City University of New York Graduate Center. The Archive is a partner with the Smithsonian in the National Museum of American History's commemorative exhibition "September 11: Bearing Witness to History," which was on view at the Museum from September 11, 2002 to July 6, 2003.

Over 1 million visitors saw the exhibition September 11: Bearing Witness to History at the National Museum of American History. At the end of the exhibit, visitors were asked to tell their story of September 11, 2001 and to consider how their lives had changed because of that day. Browse and search the thousands of stories left by these visitors.

Viewing stories 1 to 6 of 24 featured stories | Next stories

I work at the Woolworth building in New York City, just 3 blocks from the WTC. On that beautiful morning I was in the server room when the first plane hit and heard nothing. When I came out one of my coworkers told me that something had happened at the WTC, but he...[more]				I live in Nashville, Tennessee, so I witnessed the events of September 11, 2001 from a distance, via TV and other media, like most Americans. This is what I remember most vividly from that day and the few days that followed: It was a brilliant late-summer day; the...[more]

It was a day when the entire world stopped and stared in disbelief. The morning of September 11, 2001, I was at home in New York City with my 3-year-old daughter, Quincy. She was going to start attending preschool in a few days so for the moment Quincy still...[more]				Pentagon Employee[Occupant of Rosslyn Swing Space]. This is to remember how the day of Terrorists attacking the Pentagon was just a few moments and 300' from the impact. I remember the day just as many others started. I was waiting for the Swing Space bus in...[more]

I left for work on Tuesday morning and the thing that struck me most was what an absolutely beautiful day it was. I love New York in the fall. I work at St Vincent's hospital in downtown Manhattan. One of the surgeons called the recovery room from home to tell us that...[more]				I am a Pentagon Police Officer and I had just briefed my traffic squad of the situation in New York and told them to be careful. I went into the Pentagon for a staff meeting and as I was waiting, I was doing what most of America was doing, watching the news. I...[more]