For many of us, life before September 11, 2001 is hard to remember. Yet, the front pages of September 10 detail the ordinary news around the country. The first hurricane of the season, Erin, was making waves along the East Coast as she moved far out to sea. New York Jets coach Herman Edwards was under scrutiny after his team lost by 21 points in the season opener. All across America, the normal joys and disappointments of life occurred. These pictures capture some of those moments. One day later, our world changed forever.
1. An Australian man named David Officer was visiting New York with his family. They got to the top of the Empire State Building and took this picture of the World Trade Center on Sept. 10. They planned to visit the World Trade Center the following morning, but were delayed when David decided to go for a run. (ABC News)
2. Taken by a hiker on a trip, this image from Mohonk, New York was taken on the evening of Sept. 10. (Flatbush Gardener)
3. Impressed with the lovely night sky, a man decided to snap this picture from the window of his DC office building. You can see the Capitol Building in the background. (Boston Bill)
4. Over in the United Kingdom, a man stopped and photographed a train. (rowanC82)
5. This picture comes from inside an airplane that was making the transatlantic flight from London to San Francisco. (steve_l)
6. In Pittsburgh, this shot shows a business luncheon occurring on Sept. 10. (mml.stanford)
7. A beautiful lookout into the peaceful tranquility of nature. Taken near Leecher Lookout in Washington. (firephoto39)
8. Coming back from lunch, this San Francisco worker snapped a picture of the flower below. (GordReece)
9. Artist Monika Bravo was at work on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center until midnight on September 10, 2001. She took a video of the thunderstorm that hit New York that evening and created a 5 minute video from it. You can see the complete video here.
10. President Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard shake hands before a meeting on Sept. 10. Prime Minister Howard would be in Washington the following day, as the attacks began to unfold.
11. This image could make your blood freeze. Hijackers Mohamed Atta (rear) and Abdulaziz al-Omari (front) were photographed by this ATM in Portland, Maine at 8:41 p.m. the night before the attacks.
Video: This was taken on September 3, 2001 by someone in town for a wedding. It’s chilling and shows what the complex was like just days before the attack.
Not Intent on Arriving 
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