Terrorist Attacks Shocked World
Published: Friday, September 11, 2026
On Sept. 11, 2001, the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history unfolded in New York City and Washington, D.C. Three hijacked airplanes were intentionally flown into iconic buildings, while a fourth hijacked plane crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania. These events set the country on edge for weeks and even months.
In the 25 years since the attack, Americans are now able to have some perspective on the events of 9/11, but the memories of that terrible day still remain with many Americans.
Sept. 11 was a Tuesday, which is deadline day at The Farmer's Exchange. That week's paper was in the late stages of the publication process, but the terrorist attacks could not be ignored. Considering the impending deadline, a decision was made to run a brief story that appeared at the bottom of page 1. That story summarized the day's events and alerted readers to the postponement of a key USDA crop report that was due to be released at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12.
The following week, the Exchange published more thorough articles that touched on the economic impacts of the attacks and how 9/11 would affect work on the upcoming farm bill. A rare front-page editorial ran in the Sept. 21 issue describing our response to the attacks. Here is an excerpt from that editorial:
"Last Tuesday was a national tragedy—nothing less. Over 5,000 people are listed as missing or dead—the consequence of four hijacked airliners that crashed into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a remote area of western Pennsylvania.
"But, through our response to this tragedy, we Americans showed we will not let the circumstances created by others determine our destiny."
The final death toll included 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers who committed murder–suicide that day.
As the weeks and months passed, Americans returned to a new normal. Traveling by air now comes with tightened security protocols, and citizens are more aware of their safety on airplanes and in public places. In government, the 9/11 terrorist attacks prompted the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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