How the world reacted to the US terrorist attacks

The images of the September 11 attacks remain indelible, even though Wednesday marks 23 years since a cloudless morning in New York turned into a nightmare that shook the country to its core and changed the fate of millions of people around the world.

The horror of crowds realizing that a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center; Lower Manhattan covered in ash that looks like rotten snow; the “falling man,” destruction at the heart of a country's military power; and a plane crash that simultaneously symbolizes the heroism of a group of average citizens and the possibility of potential violence.

Each of these images contains a snapshot of the terror that spread across the country, whether you were at the epicenter of the tragedy or sitting across the country watching TV waiting to be dropped off at school.