There are many ways we can learn more about how the attacks unfolded on September 11th, 2001. However, primary sources, like oral histories, newspaper articles, and interviews, can offer us firsthand accounts and materials produced at the time of the event. They allow the researcher to move beyond textbook narratives and connect directly with the voices of witnesses, survivors, responders, and officials.
9/11 Memorial & Museum has collected oral histories in an effort to document the lives of survivors, witnesses, responders, and those who were directly impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. You can listen to the recorded interviews or read their transcripts on their website.
At its core, an oral history is a record of the past based on the spoken accounts or those who experienced it. These can be recorded in audio or video, or taken from transcripts of interviews. Using oral histories "facilitates a unique articulation of the memories and life experiences of people whose stories might otherwise have been lost or ignored" (Cuxima-Zwa, 2019), making them an invaluable resource for research.
This interactive timeline was created by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to provide a minute by minute overview of the 9/11 attacks. You can access this timeline, as well as other incredible sources at their website.
Recordings can be poignant and invaluable primary sources, providing researchers with the opportunity to visualize pivotal moments in history. This newsreel captures only 44 seconds of September 11, yet still captures the beginning of a seismic impact on the course of history. You can find this clip on Films on Demand.