The story behind the photo that captures the horror of 9/11

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Richard Drew (0:21)

I've been reading about other people's comments, and they say that the falling man's soul was captured before he hit the ground.

Chris Bentley (0:28)

Memories of 9-Eleven, which changed everyone's life, especially those who saw it firsthand.

It is Friday, September 11th, and this is Here & Now Anytime from NPR and WBUR. Today on the show, we are marking 25 years since 9-Eleven. September 11th, 2001 changed the world, but also our everyday lives.

Andrew Babacan (1:04)

I did not appreciate that day, how much September 11th would come to shape my adult life.

Chris Bentley (1:11)

We'll hear some of your memories. And after that, a woman who was in high school in lower Manhattan during 9-Eleven has grown up into an advocate for her classmates who got sick from breathing toxic air.

Lila Nordstrom (1:24)

The barge where they were bringing all of the debris from the World Trade Center site was morgue next to our school. And so they were dumping debris next to our school all day.

Chris Bentley (1:33)

Before we get to that, though, a conversation with the photographer who captured an enduring image from that day. Almost 3,000 people died on September 11th, 2001, when hijackers took over four planes. They crashed two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon. Passengers on the fourth plane struggled with the hijackers on board and forced them to crash in a field in Pennsylvania. People across the country rushed home from work. Kids were pulled out of school and millions watched in terror as the towers collapsed on live TV.

In a few minutes, we'll hear how 9-11 changed some of your lives in painful ways, but also with the perspective of 25 years in hopeful ways too.

But I'll let Robin Young get us started by talking about one image that came to represent it all.

Robin Young (2:28)

Do you have an image you just can't shake from 9-11? A woman at ground zero in shock, covered in gray dust with an elegant strand of pearls? Or the collapsed towers that look like a bombed World War II cathedral? Well, 25 years ago, AP photographer Richard Drew took another photo. He raced to the towers when told a plane had hit them. Emerging from the subway, he got to work. One of Richard Drew's photographs became known around the world as the Falling Man, a man appearing to plummet headfirst to his death from the North Tower. It's called one of the most famous photos that no one wants to see. It's that difficult. Esquire essayist Tom Juno called it our most intimate connection to the horror of that day.

The 9-11 Museum displays it in a private alcove, along with this instrumental tribute from Dutch group Bastardy de Blues.

Richard Drew joins us now to reflect on the power of his falling man photograph years on. Richard, what are your first thoughts looking back to where you were that day?

Richard Drew (3:41)

Well, I guess I'm thinking about what would happen if someone hadn't pulled me away when the first building collapsed, because I was directly across the street. And then I made my way back and was able to do some more photography.

Robin Young (3:58)

And you've also told us that in the run-up to this, you are on another shoot. There was a CNN cameraman there. You both almost simultaneously got news. Something's happened with the tower. You take the subway.

I had friends who were on the subway. It was very frightening to be down there and not know what you were coming up to. When you first came up and you saw the fires, what did you think?

Richard Drew (4:21)

Well, I saw both towers were on fire, and I was wondering how one plane could hit both towers and the way the fire was on one side and on one and one on the other. I didn't realize it until this police officer said, you know, I was here when the second plane hit, and I went, oh my gosh.

Robin Young (4:39)

Yeah, right. And there you are looking at it. But how do you, we've seen the footage of the people staring up in shock. You did your work. What happened? I mean, I know you're a top photographer.

Thank you. But was it all instinct? What was it?

Richard Drew (4:57)

Well, I've been with the AP now 56 years, but I've had experience in my career. In 1968, I was one of the photographers in the kitchen when Robert Kennedy was shot. I was actually walking right behind him.