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Two lights (above) shine near where the Twin Towers once stood in New York City.
Yongyuan Dai/Getty Images
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A Nation Remembers
It happens every year on the evening of September 11. Two huge beams of light shoot from the ground 4 miles up into the sky over New York City. Visible from up to 60 miles away, these twin columns are called Tribute in Light. The memorial is meant to commemorate one of the saddest days in our nation’s history—9/11.
Jupiterimages/Getty Images
On September 11, 2001, two planes flown by terrorists (people who use violence to spread fear) crashed into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City. About 30 minutes later, another plane hit the Pentagon, the U.S. military headquarters near Washington, D.C. A fourth plane, likely headed to the White House or the U.S. Capitol, crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Passengers on that plane fought the terrorists and prevented that attack.
Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the attacks. That includes more than 400 firefighters and other first responders who rushed in to help. The Tribute in Light was started in 2002 as a way to remember and honor those who lost their lives on 9/11.