History in the News: Collecting September 11

The History in the News case features objects from the museum's collection related to the September 11 tragedy. Objects will be rotated several times a year. Current and future cases are on view as follows:

June 11, 2005-March 26, 2006
This case features flags related to the September 11 tragedy. Objects on view include a flag belonging to American Airlines "wing walker" James Carlton, who used it to signal arriving flights at Dulles International Airport after September 11th; a piece of fuselage from the wreckage of United Airlines Flight 93, believed to be part of the painted red and white stripes of an American flag; cards sent to FBI agents working in western Pennsylvania that include children's flag drawings; and a hard hat, jewelry, and pins featuring the American flag that show the pervasiveness of such objects after the attacks.

March 27, 2006-Sept. 4, 2006
Many photographers, both professional and amateur, captured the events of September 11 with digital and film cameras, phones, and camcorders and transmitted their images to news agencies, family, and friends throughout the world. On view in this case are a selection of these photographs, a Nikon N90s camera used by a Pentagon worker to capture the devastation of the attacks, and a laptop computer used by a Chicago Tribune reporter assigned to cover the first month of U.S. military activity in Afghanistan.