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When a plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center many people thought a tragic accident had happened.

But 17 minutes later they watched on as a second jet hit the South Tower at the start of New York's darkest day.

With Manhattan's two tallest buildings engulfed in flames, there was no doubt that America was under attack.

In a classroom in Florida, White House chief of staff Andrew Card whispered to tell President Bush what was unfolding.

People near the World Trade Center complex were leaving buildings when the second plane struck.

As smoke billowed, they started to run for their lives.

When the towers collapsed it sent plumes of smoke across Manhattan, engulfing everything and everyone.

The wall of dust only heightened the sense of chaos and confusion.

When the planes hit, the emergency services raced to save as many lives as possible.

Hundreds died at the scene, with hundreds more passing away with the physical and mental scars in the years which followed.

Utter devastation was all that was left once the dust settled.

Twisted metal rose from the rubble and concrete of the destroyed embodiment of American prosperity.

Two more planes were hijacked, with the Pentagon attacked - tearing a hole in the side of another symbol of American strength.

59 people on board the flight and 125 on the ground were killed.

Pictures taken by satellites and from helicopters show how the tallest buildings on Manhattan were reduced to just a few storeys of debris.

The fires started on that sunny Tuesday morning continued to burn for 100 days - finally being extinguished on December 20th.

Firefighters would work for months to clear the site of what was now Ground Zero, with a ceremony marking completion of work in May 2002.

The events of September 11th 2001 left physical, emotional and mental scars on thousands of individuals and a nation as a whole.

In the twenty years since, the actions of that day have influenced the lives of billions across the planet.