CNNreporter

HOW IT HAPPENED

Only 4 minutes had past, CNN with a Live Shot on the World Trade Center. Carol Lin to tell the world what just happened.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened. But clearly, something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island Manhattan. That is, once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

And after Daryn Kagan and Leon Harris took over, it was time for Aaron Brown, who just joined the network.

KAGAN: As we continue our coverage, our Aaron Brown in New York City joining now. Aaron we see over your left shoulder there, the building still smoldering of the World Trade Center.

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a grotesque site to look at from about 30 blocks away, from where we are. For those of you just joining us, let's just briefly recap what we know.
About an hour ago, about 8:45 eastern time, one plane crashed into the tower -- the World Trade Center tower on the right, the first of those towers that you can see behind me. And then about a half hour later, a second plane crashed into the tower number two, that's the one to the left, where the darker smoke is billowing out right now.

more: http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/11/bn.02.html

The next morning, very early:

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now I am joined by Aaron Brown here in New York City, a man who spent over nine hours here perched a top our platform here. He watched both World Trade Centers collapse yesterday. He watched building number seven collapse, as well. What are your thoughts this morning as New York wakes up to a completely different skyline?

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It strikes me as both reporter and New Yorker that today is remarkably different. There was something sickeningly surreal about yesterday. At one point turning around, you watched these buildings collapse and you say that can't possibly be. If yesterday was surreal, today is all about reality. Today we are, we're going to start to get a sense of the dimension of this. We're going to start to get a sense of how many people perished, both 30 blocks away from us and in Washington as well.

more: http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/12/lad.11.htm

As the story went on on television, CNN.com was extremly busy as well:

340 Million Hits have been counted - an unbelievable number. For that reason, CNN.com wasn't available for some hours, at least at my PC in Germany and surely all over the world.

The normal CNN webpage was reduced to a very small, reduced site, with only 1 picture and very little text, understandable for server reasons.

In the evening CNN returned to an almost normal layout with the navigation.
Then the page provided a gallery, with many pictures. A full in-depth coverage was then provided and the page-access was good enough to get to the page.

TIMELINE

8:49 EST : CNN 's Just In message from Carol Lin with live video
9:02 : CNN broadcasts WABC coverage
9:03 : Second impact live on WABC
9:08 : CNN switches to WNYW
9:09:40 : CNN resumes his own coverage
9:15:30 : CNN reports that G.W. Bush has been informed
9:18 : CNN reports that the FBI is investigating a possible plane hijacking
9:18:40 : CNN's Kelly Arena reports "FBI (..) have not yet determined whether or not this was indeed a terrorist act". First time the word "terrorist" is used on the air.
9:30 : G.W. Bush remarks
9:36 : Aaron Brown begins his coverage
9:42:30 : CNN reports of a fire at the Pentagon.
9:43:40: CNN reports White House is being evacuated
9:44:40 : First pictures of the Pentagon on fire.
9:49 : CNN reports the FAA has closed all the american airspace.
9:53:30: As Air Force One is taking off, CNN reports it was a plane crash at the Pentagon.
9:56: John King reports for the first time a possible link with Bin Laden
9:58:20 : Aaron Brown reports the first tower's collapsing; CNN is broadcasting pictures from the Pentagon, so not live on TV.

CNN was watched that day by millions of people. About 40-50% of television channels worldwide joined CNN's coverage or gathered information through CNN. This timeline shows how CNN reported the Breaking News story. As the world watched CNN, here is the timeline how the wold became aware what impact this had for the world.

Paula Zahn was in the CNN New
York Bureau that day, it rained across the East Coast 3 days
after 9/11

Gen. Clark and Miles O'Brian talked about the country of Afghanistan and the region itself