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First Responder’s HelmetA cracked helmet that belonged to a firefighter from Department Squad 18. A total of 343 firefighters lost their lives during the attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

Photograph by Ira Block, Nat Geo Image Collection

Remembering 9/11: The Things Left Behind

A collection of items found after the attack on the twin towers.

ByAnna Lukacs

September 10, 2015

Friday marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Nearly 3,000 people died and thousands more were injured in New York at the World Trade Center, in Virginia at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania, where a hijacked plane bound for Washington crashed.

We’ve gathered photos of belongings recovered from the World Trade Center. From personal notes to office supplies, the objects left behind help us imagine the everyday lives of the victims and remind us of the attack’s heavy human cost.