San Diego, CA (special) -- We have watched the images so many times on television-an airplane plowing into the tower of the World Trade Center; people jumping to their deaths from one of the tallest buildings in America; the surreal implosions of both towers; the gaping hole in the side of the Pentagon, the stunned faces of victims; the determined face of President George W. Bush-we may never forget any of it.

Yet, there is a need to write down, to chronicle, to keep the facts in order; if not for ourselves than for future generations.   Here is what America endured, all times Eastern., on the blackest Tuesday in American history:  Sept. 11, 2001.  We are indebted to the CNN network, to which we remained glued through the day, for much of the information incorporated into this timeline.

At 7:59 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 81 passengers and 11 crew, departed Boston on what was supposed to be a flight to Los Angeles.

Exactly 15 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175, another Boeing 767 carrying 56 passengers and a crew of nine, also departed from Boston, on what was supposed to be another flight to Los Angeles.

Hijackers, who somehow smuggled knives aboard, commandeered both flights.  In Newark, N.J., meanwhile, United Airlines Flight 93 with 38 passengers and 7 crew members aboard took off on a flight for San Francisco.  It  would be hijacked sometime within the next three hours.

At 8:45 a.m., American Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, near the top of the 110-story building.  At that time, many people assumed that it was a horrible accident.

Then at 9:03 a.m., United Flight 175 crashed into the south tower as live television, filming the aftermath of the crash into the north tower, broadcast the horror as it happened.  That this was terrorism, not an accident, was becoming painfully clear.

At 9:30 a.m., President George W. Bush, after reading to schoolchildren in Sarasota, Fla., made a statement that the United States had suffered an "apparent terrorist attack."  

At 9:43 a.m., just moments after takeoff from Washington D.C., American Airlines Flight 77 under the control of hijackers veered back towards the nation's capital and smashed purposefully into the Army side of the Pentagon.  The White House and other governmental buildings were promptly evacuated.  Like the hijacked flights that had left Boston, Flight 77 had also been bound for Los Angeles.  The Boeing 757 had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard.

At 9:57 a.m., Bush departed from Florida, heading in Air Force One for a secure location where he could be in constant communications with his staff.

The President was barely airborne when the north tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, sending unknown numbers of occupants and debris down to the streets of lower Manhattan.  The collapse was approximately at 10:05 a.m.

Next, at approximately 10:10 a.m., a portion of the Pentagon collapsed, causing an unknown number of deaths and injuries.  The airliner reportedly had penetrated to the inner ring of the building with five concentric circles.

As a precaution other government buildings in Washington were evacuated, including the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Justice Department.  In New York, meanwhile, the United Nations Building also was ordered evacuated.  The Federal Aviation Administration ordered all inbound flights to the United States diverted to Canada.

At 10:28 a.m., as television cameras were trained on the havoc, the 110-story south tower of the World Trade Center seemed to melt down like a fast-burning candle.   

Within the next half hour, all federal buildings in Washington were evacuated, Israel ordered all its diplomatic missions evacuated and Gov. George Pataki of New York ordered all state government offices closed.  Election authorities meanwhile ordered the postponement of the municipal primary elections in New York City, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani directed emergency personnel to close off the tip of Manhattan Island.

At 11:26 a.m., United Airlines announced that Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco, had crashed in rural Pennsylvania.  It too had been taken over by hijackers, but what their destination had been was not known.

At 12:04 p.m., Los Angeles International Airport was closed.  San Diego's Lindbergh Field soon followed suit.  Authorities also closed San Diego Bay to incoming ship traffic.
At 12:15 p.m. San Francisco International Airport was also ordered closed.  

The borders between the United States and Mexico, as well as between the United States and Canada were put under highest alert, but were kept open to traffic - which experienced very major delays.

Mayor Dick Murphy of San Diego ordered all city government workers in the downtown San Diego area to evacuate.  With the closure of state government buildings by Gov. Gray Davis came the shutdown of San Diego State University and various community colleges.   The University of California at San Diego was not yet in session.  Museums in Balboa Park also closed down.  

Air Force One bearing the President landed at Barksdale Air Force Base shortly after 1 p.m.   Bush no longer considered the terrorist attack to be "apparent."  He said he had ordered the U.S. military to be put on the highest alert, and said the United States would hunt down the perpetrators of the terrorism.  "High alert" had the effect in San Diego of closing various bases to anyone but members of the military and essential civilian personnel.

American warships steamed out of various ports and put to sea.

After a brief stopover at the Barksdale base, the President flew to Offutt Air Base,  Nebraska, where there is a hardened crisis room underground with secure communication systems to be utilized by Bush in his capacity as commander in chief.   He arrived there about 1:45 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the grounding of all civilian aircraft, at least until the following afternoon.  Within a few hours, the major stock exchanges announced they too would remain closed at least through Wednesday.

After conferring by secure telephone with his National Security Staff,  President Bush left Orcutt Air Base at 4:30 p.m. to return to Washington D.C.  Military jet aircraft alongside both wings escorted the President's plane 

While he was enroute, a 47-story building in New York - damaged by fire that had spread from the World Trade Center - collapsed at 5:20 p.m., sending more rubble and debris over the lower portion of Manhattan.  The building was believed to have been fully evacuated.  

President Bush arrived back in Washington at 6:54 p.m.  The nation watched as he got off the Marine One helicopter and walked briskly across the White House lawn.  It was announced he would make a third statement to the nation later that evening.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the President , looking grim, asked for the prayers of the nation in behalf of thousands of people still trapped in rubble,  and promised that the United States would win the war which terrorists had launched against it.   "These acts shatter steel, but they can't dent the steel of American resolve," he declared.

He said the United States would hold not only the terrorists responsible, but also any country which had harbored them.   With Osama bin-Laden - the man believed responsible for dynamiting to U.S. Embassies in 1998 -- considered the prime suspect in this series of attacks as well, the President's words appeared to be a chilling warning to the government of Afghanistan which has extended sanctuary to the Saudi millionaire terrorist.