NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New York City and the nation mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Saturday.
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Hundreds of family members are gathering at the 9/11 Memorial, where they’ll read the names of their loved ones and observe six moments of silence. Among the officials in attendance will be President Joe Biden, who will travel to all three attack sites.
On a sunny Tuesday 20 years ago, terrorists hijacked four planes. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as passengers fought back against the hijackers.
The attacks killed 2,977 people that day and injured thousands. Many more were sickened or killed by 9/11-related illnesses in the years that followed.
Here are the latest updates as the nation remembers that day:
12:50 p.m. -- The reading of victims' names concludes at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan.
12:25 p.m. -- President Joe Biden lays a wreath at the Flight 93 Memorial under a clear, blue sky.
12:15 p.m. -- President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive at the Flight 93 Memorial, where they're greeted by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
11:15 a.m. -- Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the 9/11 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania: "We stand today with all those who lost someone on September 11, 2001 and the aftermath of the attacks... Please know your nation sees you and we stand with you, and we support you."
“So many in our nation -- too many in our nation -- have deeply felt the passage of time these past 20 years," the vice president says. "Please know your nation sees you and we stand with you and we support you.”
11 a.m. -- Former President George W. Bush speaks at the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed after passengers and crew fought back against the terrorists: "We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death."
Bush, who was president during the attacks, commends the courage of the Flight 93 passengers and crew: “The 33 passengers and seven crew of Flight 93 could have been any group of citizens selected by fate. In a sense, they stood in for us all... The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people.”
The 43rd president encourages Americans to put aside their political differences in the spirit of what he saw after 9/11: "So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment... On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab their neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another."
10:50 a.m. – Members of the FDNY’s Battalion 57 lead a procession over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn. Firefighters from across the country, as well as personnel from FDNY firehouses throughout the city, are taking part.
10:30 a.m. -- "Hamilton" actor Christopher Jackson performs "Never Alone" at the memorial.
10:28 a.m. -- A moment of silence is observed to mark the time the North Tower fell.
10:03 a.m. -- A moment of silence is observed to mark the time United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
9:59 a.m. -- A moment of silence is observed to mark the time the South Tower fell.
9:40 a.m. -- Broadway actor and singer Kelli O'Hara performs “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the memorial.
9:37 a.m. -- A moment of silence is observed to mark the time American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.
9:05 a.m. -- Bruce Springsteen performs an acoustic rendition of "I'll See You In My Dreams" at the memorial.
9:03 a.m. -- A moment of silence is observed to mark the time United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower.
8:55 a.m. -- Families continue to read names of loved ones killed in the attacks.
8:46 a.m. -- A moment of silence is observed to mark the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Attendees bow their heads. A bell chimes, signaling the start of the commemorations marking 20 years since the attacks.
8:43 a.m. -- An honor guard carrying a single American flag arrives at the memorial with drums and bagpipes. Family members hold photos of their loved ones high over their heads. The National Anthem begins.
8:30 a.m. -- Many officials have arrived, including presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Mayors Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg, and senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, are also here along with hundreds of family members.
7:30 a.m. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul tweets: "Twenty years ago today, nearly three thousand people lost their lives in the horrific and unprecedented acts of terror against our state and our nation. We will #NeverForget"
7:15 a.m. -- Former President Barack Obama lauded the heroes of 9/11 — and of the years since — in a message to mark the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks: “One thing that became clear on 9/11 — and has been clear ever since — is that America has always been home to heroes who run towards danger in order to do what is right.”
7 a.m. -- Family members are arriving at the 9/11 Memorial for the commemoration ceremony.
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