Raising the Flag at Ground Zero Photograph: 9/11 Flag Raising, 2001

**chris** · #1 ● 09-18-2008, 04:27 PM

Thomas E. Franklin photographed firefighters George Johnson, Dan McWilliams and Billy Eisengrein raising an American flag amid the World Trade Center ruins in Manhattan just after 5 p.m. on September 11, 2001. The flag came from the yacht Star of America. The image appeared on newspaper front pages around the world and became the basis for the 2002 Heroes postage stamp.

Earlier that day, 19 hijackers seized four passenger planes. American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m., and United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., while United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m. The attacks killed 2,977 victims, including 2,753 at the World Trade Center.

Other photographs show the towers before the attacks, the aircraft impacts, people at windows, smoke over Manhattan, the collapse dust clouds, firefighters and the ruins at Ground Zero. They include Bill Biggart's final frame, aerial views taken by NYPD Detective Greg Semendinger and Stan Honda's photograph of Marcy Borders covered in dust.