It was the event that changed the course of history more than any other in my lifetime. As with other events of that magnitude, they say you can recall where you were the moment you heard the news of the first tower, the North Tower, being hit.
Recalling 9/11
I was just 7 years old on 11 September, 2001. I had managed to come home from school early (after, admittedly, feigning illness – sorry Mum and Dad) and turned on the television to watch Sponge Bob. Of course, my Dad had been watching his favourite programme, Sky News, throughout the day and, as TVs did in those days, it turned on immediately to its last viewed channel, Sky News.
Normally, my 7 year old self would immediately sigh and change the channel but the scene immediately caught my attention – I turned it on at almost the exact moment the second tower, the South Tower, was hit. Even at 7 years old, I understood the magnitude of the event (without fully understanding what was occurring) and felt a terrible uneasiness in my stomach.
Katherine Wolf: Welsh Casualty
2,977 people died in the 9/11 attacks, including the casualties from the less-talked about Pentagon attack which occurred on the same day. Around 77 different countries lost someone during 9/11 and that is also true for Cymru, as Katherine Wolf from Abertawe (Swansea) tragically lost her life in the attack just two weeks after beginning work on the 97th floor of the North Tower. The plane directly hit floors 93 to 99, meaning Katherine would have been one of the first to lose her life during the heinous attack.
This 9/11, I hope we may all pay our respects to Katherine and everyone else whom lost their lives on that awful day.
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DIGITAL Welsh Histories Magazine – September 2025
Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.