I’m sitting here reading through old threads because, hey, I’m bored. But I can’t find any of the 9/11 threads. I’m not looking for threads about the attacks. I’m trying to find the threads that were started on September 11, 2001. Particularily the one that was started before the second plane even hit.
I thinkn it was called “A plane just crashed into the WTC” by… well, I don’t remember who started it.
Please don’t say they were lost in some upgrade/Winter of Missed Content Reloaded. 
Is this the thread you’re looking for, Silver Fire? I couldn’t find it through a search either 
, so I googled “straightdope WTC” and found a thread posted near that time. Fiddling with the threadid# pulled this one up. This was the first thread time-wise after the first plane hit.
Indeed, that’s the one I was looking for. I didn’t even think to use an outside search engine.
Thanks!
Geez, I can’t stop reading that thread…it’s so bizarre to see a historical reaction forzen in time like that…
This was really the first major event that we could take a snapshot and see exactly what people were thinking at the time. Before this, the next major thing to have happened was Oklahoma City, and that was before the net even resembled what it is today. It would be interesting to find some old Oklahoma City era threads or thread equivelents from early boards and to compare the two.
I’m so confused… I just googled “straightdope WTC” and got no hits.
Yes, I had to read that thread to the end, too. I actually shivered when a post came up saying that vix was alive. I also couldn’t help but notice that the thread was alive with rumor and misinformation—even here—because of how little anybody really knew at the time.
It’s fascinating to me because I didn’t really get to experience the first few days after 9/11.
Though I have been a Doper for some time, I didn’t actually get to read that thread (or any other from that day). On 9/11 I was called in for kidney/liver transplant surgery. I went in the evening of Tuesday, 9/11 at 5pm to the University of Washington, and remember waking up on Saturday, 9/15. I knew of the attacks but I missed those first frantic days of news coverage. (Some days I feel like I’m the only one who missed out on them.)
Opal, the fourth link that I tried was the Brunching Shuttlecocks which had a link in there to a Straightdope thread on possible Onion headlines about the attacks. That Straightdope thread was made on the 17th of September so I changed the threadid=87707 to threadid=86000. Too early. By adding and subtracting to the threadid, I eventually found the thread.
I was catching birds in central NJ (maybe 20 miles from the WTC?) and my assistant and I kept commenting on what a glorious, beautiful day it was. We had no idea. Now those crisp deep blue days just make me uneasy.
I did that too, after you linked here in your original post.
I never did find that Onion thread though. In fact, I’d forgotten all about it. Funny, funny stuff. 
I still have a question here though. Were the 9/11 threads lost here? I mean, I know they still exist, but why can’t we find them using our own search function? Anyone?
The referenced thread is a riveting read. The first mention of OBL was by FernForest from Waikiki at 9:45 AM.
Lib, that comment really caught my eye, too.
Another thread that gave me goose bumps is the one started by **Alzarian ** one week *before * September 11th. Impossible for every plane to land? Spooky.
Regarding searches: if I search on the Dope for “planes,” in the title, GQ only, I get 41 hits going back through the year 2000. But **Alzarian’s ** thread is missing in the list. There seems to be a gap of several months (latter half of 2001 - early 2002?). Perhaps the indexing for that time period got a little screwy. When exactly was Our Winter of Missed Contents? (gah! my memory is craptacular.)
An alternative, if you have an idea of the title, is to see the archive indexes. For example, here’s the MPSIMS archive when the first thread was posted. The archives link is down toward the bottom of each page (standard view).
Me, too. Funny how such a traumatic event has that effect on people. I remember that morning so well, because remember that summer had been so bad for those with sinus problems, and finally, 9/11, it was a clear, beautiful day and my sinuses were clear for once.
Fish, it’s not an experience that was pleasant to live through or remember - you’re better off.
Wow. I read that thread, it was facinating.
I don’t know the time differences, but the planes hit at around about 2am NZ time. By the time I got up (my mum woke my up as soon as she saw the paper - ‘America’s been attacked!’ is one of the more surreal way’s to start a Tuesday) the basic facts were down and being endlessly repeated, so posts like “They’re saying 6 dead 1000+ injured now” or “it’s possible a pilot might be incapacitated or be trying to “get a closer look” or performing a stunt. A 727-size jet crashing into the second tower makes it seem deliberate.” have made me realise how truely scary and confusing watching it unfold (via news or messageboard) must have been
I got halfway through page two and started crying again.
I was spending some time in a hospital psychiatric ward (for depression and migraines). It was surreal watching the coverage on television. Now that I think about it, I’m surprised that none of the other patients freaked out over it. For once, almost every patient (and the nurses) were dazed. Not just the heavily-medicated ones.
The one thing I remember most was one of the newscasters speaking with a co-worker who was in one of the towers above where the jet hit. Then not long afterwards, the tower falling, along with the man they’d just talked to…
God…