One of the most memorable and devastating events of modern history, the events of September 11 shook the world.
Many still vividly remember the images of the towers on fire and exactly where they were when news of the terror attack broke.
The twin towers of the World Trade Center were struck by two hijacked planes leading to their collapse and the deaths of almost 3,000 people.
However, despite its monumental impact on the US, many wonder why it isn’t a national holiday.
What year was 9/11?
The terror attacks of September 11 occurred in 2001 and happened in Manhattan, New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.
This year marks exactly 20 years since the event.
A hijacked 767 jet, American Airlines Flight 11, flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre as locals watched on in shock.
Terrifyingly, a second plane, American Airlines Flight 175, hit the South Tower soon after.
A total of 2,977 people died in total. Of this, 157 were the people on board the first two hijacked planes, while the remaining 2,606 people who were killed were those working in or located around the twin towers.
There was further tragedy as a third hijacked plane, American Airlines Flight 77 was flown into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters. A total of 125 people died, which included military personnel, civilians and all 64 people on the flight.
The fourth flight, United Flight 93, was hijacked and headed to California. While all 44 people aboard the flight were killed, they were suspected to have fought the hijackers after learning that the plane had been hijacked.
Why isn’t 9/11 a national holiday in the US?
While the anniversary of 9/11 is marked annually, it is not and is unlikely to ever be a national holiday as national holidays do not technically exist in the US.
No past Presidents nor Congress have ever asserted their power to declare a holiday across all 50 states.
However, every year, there are a selection of memorial events to mark the day including two beams of light shone in the Manhattan skyline.
Instead, the day has been marked as a ‘National Day of Service and Remembrance by Congress, which was named as ‘Patriot Day’ by lawmakers in 2001.
While it could be made into a permanent Federal holiday, which would mean it joining 11 others, Congress is seemingly less keen on the idea.
Traditionally, American holidays are also less likely to commemorate tragedies than celebratory historic events.
So, it seems unlikely that any holidays will be marking 9/11 in the near future, but memorial and commemorative events continue to be held to remember the lives lost in the event.
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