Important Events From Today in History – 11 September

Today in History

• 2012 Attacks on The US Diplomatic Compounds in Benghazi, Libya

  Around 150 Islamic militants used gunfire, grenades, and mortars to attack the city’s two different US diplomatic buildings. The attack killed four Americans, including US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. The incident sparked political debate in the country, particularly in light of statements made by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and State Department officials.

• 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement begins

  The Occupy Wall Street movement began in Zuccotti Park in the Wall Street District of New York City.

• 2007 Russia Tests Father of All Bombs

  A thermobaric bomb, which detonated mid-air and used the oxygen in the air to create an explosion, was the world’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb. The bomb’s energy output was equivalent to 44 tons of TNT.

• 2001 September 11 Attacks in the United States

  On September 11, the terrorist organization Al Qaeda carried out four coordinated suicide attacks. Nineteen militants hijacked four California-bound planes from east coast US cities and used them to attack major American landmarks. Two planes collided with the World Trade Center’s twin towers, causing them to collapse within two hours of being hit. One plane crashed into the Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, while the fourth plane, believed to be heading to Washington, DC, crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to fight back against the hijackers. The attacks injured approximately 6000 people, killed approximately 3000 people, caused significant economic damage, and destroyed property valued in the tens of billions of dollars. The attack ushered in the War on Terror and the War in Afghanistan.

• 1998 Commonwealth Games Open in Kuala Lumpur

  The 16th Commonwealth Games were held in an Asian country that did not have the British monarchy as the head of state for the first time, and 69 countries participated in the games held every four years.