"Some days, I just want a normal life like other women," said Kristen Breitweiser, who lost her husband, Ronald. "I want to go food shopping. I want to bake an apple pie. I don't want to be a 9/11 widow for the rest of my life."
—Andrew Jacobs, "Emerging From Cocoon of Grief," The New York Times, September 9, 2002
"Remember Pearl Harbor" became the rallying cry of generation of Americans battling for freedom against tyranny after a Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack. . . . "Remember 9/11" will be the rallying cry of this generation of Americans standing for freedom against terrorism.
—"Remember 9/11," Duluth News Tribune, September 12, 2001
This term — voted Word of the Year for 2001 by the
American Dialect Society — became a part of the lexicon literally overnight. By September 12, 2001, most of the world knew or could easily figure out what
9/11 meant. This was even true (although to a lesser extent) in countries (such as Canada, Britain, and Australia) where
9/11 means November 9. Dozens of newspapers and magazines used
9/11 in their September 12 editions, so coming up with the earliest citation is meaningless. The one above is a typical example from that day.
