I'm older than you. I was in a coffee shop having my morning cup of coffee. Nobody mentioned it until I went out to the car. The radio was on and it was reporting that an airplane hit the Trade Center in what was believed to be an accident. On the way to work I listened to the radio report of the 2nd plane hitting and all knew it was terrorism.

Got to work where all computers were tuned to CNN or other news channels. We dragged out the TV and watched the towers collapse.

Coincidentally I had been to NY just 2 weeks before and was in the Trade Center with my wife. She is very emotional and I had to go home to calm her down because she was in hysterics.

What a day.

But at my age I remember the JFK assassination on Nov 22, 1963. That day was just as scary.

Edit - Deb, I was a freshman in college then and you have to realize there was no CNN, Fox or any other all news outlet so the way and the speed we got news then was quite different than today. I don't remember what class I was in but when class was out I had 10 minutes to get to my next class in another building. As I was walking down the steps on my way out of the building I passed a student on the steps who had a portable radio with him. He told us that Kennedy had been shot. That was all he said and I had to get to my next class.

When I got there, a couple other students had also heard Kennedy was shot. Nobody even knew he was in Dallas so the details or the extent of his injury was totally unknown to everybody in this class. There was a TV in the room but the professor refused to turn it on so we went through that hour class without knowing anything and nobody was really paying attention to the prof anyway.

But after that class I was finished so I headed to the student union where there is a lounge with TV's. The lounge was PACKED but I quickly learned what had happened and saw Walter Cronkite announce on TV, through teary eyes, that Kennedy had just been pronounced dead at Parklane Memorial Hospital in Dallas and Lyndon Johnson was being sworn in as President.

Of course we then saw (though I didn't see it live) Oswald get killed by Jack Ruby. The whole country was scared that the assassination of Kennedy was the beginnings of a plot to overthrow the government.

9/11 seems more scary and it certainly resulted in thousands of deaths instead of just one but the effects on the country were similar.

And speaking of other times that were scary to our country, my mother was a teenager when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She says that was just as scary as 9/11 because the country was expecting a Japanese invasion of the west coast.

I was only just 6 years old so probably at school.. Or just coming home. It happened sometimes after 8:00AM is USA time and i'm UK so i was probably coming home, or just home from school watching the news with my grandparents. I can't really remember that day TBH. I do know that as i have got older (and being 17 now) and now i understand what happened and how horrible that day was i have cried for the people and the loss :( :(

I was putting on my socks so I could go to work. I normally don't have the tv on before work but that day I did--maybe I had gotten up earlier then usual so had some extra time to watch tv. At first I thought it was one of those disaster movies with jets crashing into skyrises (wasn't paying full attention) but then when I realized it was real, I froze and could not stop watching, kept trying to get more info (the internet was not as comprehensive then as it is now). Jez, that's my city, I know people who live and work there and it was under attack. I called my work to say I wasn't coming in only to be told that the company had shut the doors and anyone already there had to stay in place and couldn't leave because there were rampant rumors that all major cities would be similarly attacked. And I spent the whole day watching the tv coverage. Part of me would not believe this could happen; part of raved about "wasn't there any protocols in place to shoot down planes purposely crashing into highly populated places???!" and part of me was cold with sorrow for all the people who were there and all those who would have future problems because of what was happening. I called all of my people in NYC I could reach to make sure they were ok. But it was a huge hurt. And contrary to what the Taliban thought, it did not diminish our spirits or patriotism; if anything, it made us stronger and more aware that we can be attacked, it made us more proud. Sure, we now have more security things to deal with but that's ok with me. As capitalistic as we often appear to be to those who don't know much about us, I think most average Americans in a crunch know that we can be un-materialistic when we have to, that we'll give up our "stuff" to help each other, that our "stuff" is just stuff and we can tell the difference between heart-soul-spirit and our "stuff." Those who feel threatened by our capitalism ought to examine themselves because usually it's just envy.

When JFK was assassinated, I was still in grade school. The teacher was called out of the classroom. She was a steely, hard, strict, cold teacher. But when she came back into the classroom, she was crying, she told us the school was closing for the day and we were to go straight home because the President had been shot and killed. Now, my humble, shy, meek little mom had worked on the JFK campaigned and some of us kids had tagged along with her as she canvased neighborhoods and talked to people about the need to vote (not necessarily for JFK but just to get out and have a say in our government); and I had done a school paper comparing JFK with Nixon. So when he died, it really touched me. When my siblings and I met up to walk home, mom was there and she too was crying. We walked home together. I can't remember what happened after we got home. News coverage was not what it is today and there was no internet or cell phones to get instant connection to what was going on. I will always wonder what this world may have been like had JFK been allowed to live. I still cannot watch the film footage of JFK and RFK's assassinations without tearing up (same with 9/11).

I was sitting in my fourth grade class. The principal came over the PA system and had told us that there had been a serious bombing in NYC. I was too young to really comprehend the magnitude of the situation. So we all said a prayer for the victims, and went back to learning. A few minutes later, one by one, other students began getting called out by their parents. Nearly half my class left by the time the principal came back over the PA to announce that school was letting out early. I walked home, and my grandmom was house-sitting (my parents were away on their anniversary). She had the news on and was telling me how Afghanistan or groups inside Afghanistan took responsbility for the attack.

Still unaware of how serious the situation was, my friends and I went out to the playground to ride our bikes around and talk. Some of the older kids came up to us and were telling us what had happened, what was going on, etc. One of the guys warned me, and told me if that if I saw anything suspicious, to get home right away.

I remember it like it was yesterday

I was sleeping in my house, that morning, in my crib, like any other 3-year-old would do. I don't remember at all, but RIP for all the people who died on 9/11. <3

I was working at the time. I worked for a used car dealer and we were at a new car

dealer looking over trade-ins to buy. They had a TV on and it was unfolding right on

the TV screen which seemed surreal at the time. Almost seemed like a joke was being

shown on TV until we realized it was really true.

I was at school in year 3 ( I think it's the same as 3rd grade )

My deepest sympathies and condolences to whoever lost a child to cowardice act of terrorism like that and to all who died in consequence by the American invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I was running myself a bath and the children were waiting for their programmes to come on the television. They got annoyed when they didn't start, then they realised it was very serious.

i have do i d ah

I'm just curious...I remember exactly what I was doing when I found out (and I was in third grade at the time). I just find it interesting to know what people remember about that day (besides the obvious) because it's interesting just how much details stick in the human mind after a tragedy. So, specifically people who live in the US (but anyone can answer)...what were you doing that fateful day? And may our hearts and prayers be with everyone who lost a loved one that day and may we never forget the innocent lives and the heros who died that day.