>>10453090Just for context, I am not from the US but from Germany.
I was 12 at the time. It was already ~3pm local time, so past school hours.
I was out with my mom in the shopping center and on the way out saw some people gathered around a TV that was mounted on a wall. Some news report but didn't really think anything of it yet.
When I came home I actually saw the rest unfold on TV, including the 2nd hit.
Even before the 2nd hit I started having a feeling I never had before. This was probably the first time I had actually watched a live major mass casualty event and not just any, but an actual terrorist attack. Planes into fucking buildings....
When the 2nd one hit it was even worse. Even though I am not American, so I can only guess how much more of an impact it must have had for them.
Some kind of actual mild shock, because you had no clue wtf to do, but you knew this would have major consequences for the future. Lots of uncertainty and basically a total shift in the collective mindset. It's what started the terror-panic for years to come. London, Madrid, etc.
Also the towers weren't the only big story.
Some may remember the Anthrax letters, that happened right after? That seemed to have gotten memory holed.
Anyway, when people talk about pre- and post-9/11, that's not just a meme, but actual reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFqmzqIn2_YSomething that was truly lost that day.
