The End of Ignorance, Part 3 of 10

For many, the events of this day are yet unknown, their status quo unchanged. Maybe they're at work surfing the internet, or still at home watching CNN or Fox News. If they have friends or family in New York, they may have already gotten a phone call. That ignorance of the day's events was about to drastically end. Shortly after flight attendant Amy Sweeney's final call from American Airlines Flight 11, the plane slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Passerby on the street looked up in astonishment and confusion. The first reports were limited and disjointed. CNN broke into their morning commercials with "a very disturbing live shot," reporting that just minutes before a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Was it an accident? Was it really just a fire? Was it a just a little Cessna? The world began to watch in wonder, as before their very eyes the peace and tranquility they had always thought enveloped them like a warm and fuzzy blanket was snatched from them. By now, millions of people were looking at smoke billowing from the North Tower, anchors were reporting that a large commercial jetliner had 'crashed' into it. As they watch, United Flight 175 arcs like a silver spear from the side of the screen. At 590 mph, it is only a fraction of a second until an enormous fireball erupts through the South Tower. It is 9:03 AM, eastern time.