# When were the 9/11 attacks first called 9/11? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706 "2018-12-06T20:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/1 "2018-12-06T20:07:14Z")
I’m watching World Wrestling Entertainment’s first “Tribute to the Troops” show, which was called “Christmas in Baghdad” back then in 2003. One of the wrestlers said, “Since 9/11, there have been no further terrorist attacks on our soil, and it’s partly due to the hard work these soldiers put in”, or something along those lines. When were the 9/11 attacks first called “nine-eleven”? I’m not surprised that it was part of the lexicon by 2003, but when was the first reference? Within days? Weeks? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/2 "2018-12-06T20:29:25Z")
September 12th, 2001 > **[Opinion | Correspondent; America's Emergency Line: 9/11 (Published 2001)](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/opinion/correspondent-america-s-emergency-line-9-11.html)** > > Bill Keller Op-Ed column says carnage of Sept 11 moves America into very exclusive clubs of democracies--Israel, Britain during most violent days of IRA--for which terrorism is not peripheral, remote or episodic, but a horrible routine; says that... ---
**Author:** ![Kamaski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9d8465/32.png) [@Kamaski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamaski)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/3 "2018-12-07T06:37:03Z")
Pretty much immediately after. It was covered on the news 24/7 for for about 3 months after. They said “September 11th” or 9/11 in probably every other sentence. ---
**Author:** ![bowlweevils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e5b9ba/32.png) [@bowlweevils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowlweevils)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/4 "2018-12-07T09:14:03Z")
around 10am Eastern Time on 9/11/01 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/5 "2018-12-07T09:23:39Z")
It basically started as a placeholder, until the government/media/public could come up with a better name, but it very quickly took a life of its own. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/6 "2018-12-07T09:24:57Z")
On 11/9 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/7 "2018-12-07T14:27:44Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > September 12th, 2001 > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/opinion/correspondent-america-s-emergency-line-9-11.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/opinion/correspondent-america-s-emergency-line-9-11.html) This is what I remember. On the day of, I don’t remember people feeling a need to even name it. And it would be weird to refer to the September 11 attack when it’s still September 11. But talk of the connection to 911 happened early. It also had precedent with the 7/7 attack in London. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/8 "2018-12-07T14:41:06Z")
Except that the 7/7 attack on London was four years later. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/9 "2018-12-07T14:45:54Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It basically started as a placeholder, until the government/media/public could come up with a better name, but it very quickly took a life of its own. And the date worked well because: 1. It occurred/resulted at three different locations, the WTC, the Pentagon, and in a field near Shanksville Pennsylvania. 2. It is short and easy to say. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/10 "2018-12-07T15:03:58Z")
And the date also corresponds with the 9-1-1 emergency system, a fact the hijackers had to be aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/11 "2018-12-07T15:12:40Z")
I think in a thread at some point we talked about the coincidence of the date and the 911 emergency number. In many countries dates are written as DD/MM, and so they would use 11/9 rather than 9/11. And I think they chose that date more because it was a Tuesday, when planes are less full and so the planes were easier to hijack. So I really doubt they were going for any sort of connection there. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/12 "2018-12-07T16:23:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think in a thread at some point we talked about the coincidence of the date and the 911 emergency number. In many countries dates are written as DD/MM, and so they would use 11/9 rather than 9/11. And I think they chose that date more because it was a Tuesday, when planes are less full and so the planes were easier to hijack. So I really doubt they were going for any sort of connection there. I always thought there was another connection: it was Primary Election Day in many states. Given the contempt these Islamists hold for democracy & voting, they probably felt that day was appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/13 "2018-12-07T16:30:43Z")
It was also the first day of school in NYC. So between that and the primary election, many people were not at the office that day. That probably reduced the number of casualties. (On a normal day, with the tourists around, there were probably tens of thousands of people in those buildings.) ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/14 "2018-12-07T16:46:31Z")
I thought there was also a possible connection to some battle having to do with the Caliphate? Some historical event obscure (obviously) to me, but possibly having great meaning to the hijackers. Did none of the material seized from Bin Laden shed any light on why 9/11 (or 11/9)? Or is that all non-public still? ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/15 "2018-12-07T22:18:54Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > I always thought there was another connection: it was Primary Election Day in many states. Given the contempt these Islamists hold for democracy & voting, they probably felt that day was appropriate. It was the day of the election for mayor of New York City, not any any national or state-wide elections that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/16 "2018-12-07T23:10:10Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > It was the day of the election for mayor of New York City, not any any national or state-wide elections that I know of. It was Primary Election Day here in Minnesota, for Mayors of Minneapolis & St. Paul, and a whole lot of local offices. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/17 "2018-12-08T00:34:46Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It was also the first day of school in NYC. So between that and the primary election, many people were not at the office that day. That probably reduced the number of casualties. (On a normal day, with the tourists around, there were probably tens of thousands of people in those buildings.) Why on earth were they starting school so late? I went to school in Pennsylvania from 1974 to 1987 and never once started later than the last Tuesday of August. Even our college semesters started before Labor Day. Was there something going on that year or is this normal? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/18 "2018-12-08T00:57:43Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Why on earth were they starting school so late? I went to school in Pennsylvania from 1974 to 1987 and never once started later than the last Tuesday of August. Even our college semesters started before Labor Day. Was there something going on that year or is this normal? School always starts in NYC after Labor Day - and sometimes Rosh Hashanah affects the start date. For example, in 2015, school started on Wed September 9 and was closed on the 14 and 15 for Rosh Hashanah. In 2013 , Labor day was Sept 2, Rosh Hashanah was Sept 5 & 6 and school stared Sept 9. But summer vacation also starts later than you are probably used to- the last day of school is usually around June 26 ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/19 "2018-12-08T01:30:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think in a thread at some point we talked about the coincidence of the date and the 911 emergency number. In many countries dates are written as DD/MM, and so they would use 11/9 rather than 9/11. And I think they chose that date more because it was a Tuesday, when planes are less full and so the planes were easier to hijack. So I really doubt they were going for any sort of connection there. If they had studied the long-term weather patterns of the New York and Washington areas, would there have been data to suggest that early-to-mid September offered the greatest chance (or even a great chance) that skies would be calm and crystal clear? ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-the-9-11-attacks-first-called-9-11/825706/20 "2018-12-08T02:23:19Z")
**doreen** , you have fought ignorance today! Thanks for your answer. Rosh Hashanah is completely off my radar and it would never even occur to me that the holiday would affect school schedules. Growing up in a mill town in Western PA, my experience was worlds apart from NYC. And yeah, we’d complain loudly if school went past the first week of June.