9/11 Online Exhibits and Resources Worth Viewing

Saturday marks the twentieth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. For those who experienced that traumatic day, it is impossible to forget to bafflement, horror, and fear we experienced. For those who don’t remember 9/11, it’s hard to explain what the world was like before mass-casualty terrorism became a reality.

Many museums and galleries across the United States are marking the anniversary with exhibits about 9/11. If you can, you should explore what they have put on display. But if you don’t live near a museum highlighting 9/11, or if you would rather stay home than go out in a pandemic, the internet offers plenty of virtual exhibits and resources. Here are seven worth checking out:

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum offers several perspectives on the September 11, 2001, attacks. World Trade Center History explains the World Trade Center’s iconic status and why it became a terrorist target. Revealed: The Hunt for Bin Laden explores what was known about Osama bin Laden before 9/11, how countries around the globe responded to the attack, and what went into the Navy SEAL Team Six raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11 features the works that thirteen New York City artists created in response to 9/11.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History created September 11: Bearing Witness to History for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The exhibit features fifty objects from the three 9/11 sites: the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the site where United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The objects include an FDNY rescue truck door, dog tags, and a seatbelt from Flight 93.

The National Museum of the United States Army, which is located at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia, is presenting Army Resolve: Looking Back at 9/11. The exhibit presents the stories of soldiers affected by the 9/11 attacks, art and artifacts related to 9/11, and photos of the Pentagon and New York City in the wake of the attacks.

The Miller Center at the University of Virginia, which focuses on presidential and political history, has created a site entitled Remembering September 11. It compiles the Miller Center’s vast library of 9/11 resources into one place. The offerings include a timeline of events on 9/11, oral histories by leading government officials, recordings of the Center’s many events on 9/11, and more.

History.com has assembled a comprehensive "9/11 Timeline," of what happened on September 11, 2001, and what came after. The timeline comes with photo galleries for each of the 9/11 sites.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has compiled information about its role in the 9/11 investigation. The exhibit contains video interviews with FBI agents involved in various aspects of the investigation, photos and videos from the day of the attack, and a discussion of how the attacks changed the FBI.

Vox.com marked the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 with "9 Devastating, Revealing Stories of Being Muslim in Post-9/11 America." Nine Muslim Americans from across the country tell their stories of living in the United States after the 9/11 attacks. Each shared their experiences with Islamophobia following 9/11. The love they felt for America all too often wasn’t reciprocated.

Tomorrow we recommend movies about 9/11.

Here are the other entries in this series:

• More Resources Worth Exploring About 9/11
• Seven Reflections Worth Reading About 9/11
• Seven Documentaries Worth Watching About 9/11
• Seven Movies Worth Watching About 9/11
• Seven Resources Debunking 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
• Seven Podcasts Worth Listening to About 9/11
• Seven More Books Worth Reading About 9/11 and Its Aftermath

Leila Marhamati assisted in the preparation of this post.