9 11 heroes biography sampler

9/11 heroes (l to r) Rick Rescorla, Amy Sweeney and Todd Beamer.

(by Paul Szoldra, Business Insider) — The worst terrorist attack in US history turned more than a few ordinary Americans into heroes.

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on September 11, 2001, after al Qaeda hijackers flew airplanes into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York.

More than 6,000 were injured.

Tens of thousands of people typically worked in the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, and most were able to escape. While all who endured that terrible day can be considered brave, there are some who went above and beyond in trying to save lives, and ultimately prevented the tragedy from becoming even worse.