This photograph was one of many captured by photographers in New York City following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and it reflected the shock and horror that many Americans felt as the incident played out on live national television. Many Americans were at school, at work, or at home watching television when the news broke of the first trade center tower, the North Tower, being hit by an airplane, and viewers watched in disbelief at what was initially thought to be an accident.