The History Channel has assembled a truly excellent “History Specials” episode regarding the World Trade Center portion of the 9/11 al Qaeda attacks. What’s remarkable about this documentary is that it’s the stringing together of raw footage from a variety of sources — mostly amateur, some professional — with no narration added, save for the backdrop offered by audio clips of emergency calls, NYFD radio communications, and the like. The sequence of events as seen and experienced by observers in various parts of New York City are left to speak for themselves.
“102 Minutes that Changed America” is available on iTunes here. It’s well worth watching if you can possibly stomach it. As I’ve said before, I think it’s vital that we remember and understand what happened on that day.
The episode description:
A new historical record is emerging of the sights and sounds of the attack on the World Trade Center. This two-hour special will distinguish itself from other 9/11 documentaries by using only unique and rarely seen and heard archive to document the 102 minutes between the first attack on the World Trade Center and the collapse of the second tower. This will be a lasting document whose unique material comes from a range of non-traditional sources, including amateur photography, video, and film; FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority and emergency dispatch radio recordings, photography and video; recorded voicemails; audio/video diaries; footage and stills broadcast or published outside the United States; electronic messages; surveillance camera footage; and “outtakes” culled from raw network footage.
