As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, National Geographic is giving the public a new way to revisit one of the most consequential days in American history.
The network has launched an interactive digital archive featuring more than 100 hours of video from its extensive collection of 9/11 documentaries, including more than 20 hours of footage never before released to the public. Through the voices of survivors, fire responders, eyewitness testimony and rare video, the project offers viewers a chance to learn more about the attacks and their aftermath from multiple perspectives.
What is the National Geographic 9/11 archive?
Available online, the new digital experience brings together decades
of reporting, interviews and documentary footage into a single interactive platform.
National Geographic says the archive is designed to offer an immersive, multi-perspective look at both the Sept. 11 attacks and the years that followed, drawing on hundreds of hours of footage collected since 2001.
"National Geographic has been telling important stories from around the world for over 138 years," Tom McDonald, the network's executive vice president of content, said in a statement. "In the case of 9/11, one of the most significant days of the 21st century, we have gathered hundreds of hours of footage, both from the day itself and from intimate and moving retrospective interviews since."
More than 20 hours of never-before-seen footage
One of the archive's biggest draws is its collection of previously unreleased material.
According to National Geographic, the experience includes more than 100 hours of video overall, with over 20 hours of footage that has never been publicly released. The archive is designed to tell the story of Sept. 11 through firsthand accounts and perspectives from those who lived through the attacks and their aftermath.
Watch exclusive footage from digital archive
How does the archive work?
Unlike a traditional documentary, the experience is designed for viewers to explore on their own.
Users can navigate a unified timeline of Sept. 11 and sort nearly 500 video clips by time, location and topic. That allows visitors to follow specific events, revisit key moments and hear directly from the people who lived through them.
National Geographic says the project combines eyewitness testimony with data visualization tools to create an immersive storytelling experience centered on loss, resilience, survival and hope.
Why the archive matters
The launch comes as Americans prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
For millions, Sept. 11 remains a defining moment that reshaped the country and changed countless lives. National Geographic's new archive aims to preserve those stories while making them accessible to a generation too young to remember the attacks firsthand.
Through rare footage, personal accounts and hundreds of videos, the project offers a new way to understand the day, the people affected by it and the legacy that continues 25 years later.
How to access the archive
The National Geographic 9/11 archive is available online and allows users to explore hundreds of videos and firsthand accounts documenting the attacks and their aftermath.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Geographic unlocks rare 9/11 footage
