How It Likely Wouldn’t Have Happened
The 9/11 attacks were a convergence of security failures, intelligence gaps, and timing. Interestingly, the hijackers almost didn’t make it: several had their passports taken for being doctored, and others nearly missed their flights. With just a few minor disruptions or security checks, they could have been stopped. could have stopped them. However, hindsight is always 20/20
If that had happened, the world would have woken up to an ordinary Tuesday. The Twin Towers would still be standing, and the Pentagon would remain unscarred. The cultural, political, and emotional shockwaves that defined the 21st century would never have rippled outward, and the world would have looked very different.
Even if 9/11 had been prevented, historians suggest that another attack might have occurred eventually. U.S. aviation and intelligence systems were already targets from lack of securtiy, and Al-Qaeda’s intent was unwavering. But the timing—and the cultural reaction—would have changed everything.
