Twenty-five years ago, four hijacked planes changed America. In this special anniversary episode, Professor Jacobson and I revisit where we were that morning.
Memories like the sound of hundreds of firefighters’ PASS devices chirping in the rubble after the towers fell. These devices are designed to sound an alarm when a firefighter stops moving. That day, hundreds went off at once.
Professor Jacobson also mentioned that, “Many people commented that they remember how, in the days after, the batteries eventually died out. So you started with several hundred going off, and over the days the number would dwindle as the batteries died.”
9/11 took nearly 3,000 American lives and changed America forever. “TSA didn’t exist, Homeland Security didn’t exist, ICE didn’t exist. All of those things were a direct byproduct of 9/11… One of the things that amazed me at the time was the outpouring of patriotism. The number of people in line to donate blood, the number of people in line to do whatever they possibly could to help out, because the entire country was grieving. The entire country was unnerved and unsettled, and everyone wanted to help and pitch in however they could.”
Listen in as we talk about the lessons we haven’t learned and why “never forget” still means something.
Watch:
Listen:
The haunting sound of hundreds of PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) devices chirping in the rubble after the towers fell. Each one represents a fallen hero. I can’t get that sound out of my head. pic.twitter.com/oiYpHi5SGE
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) September 10, 2026
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