Every American recalls precisely where they were when hijacked passenger planes slammed into the twin towers on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Of the 2,977 people who died that day, roughly 540 were of Italian descent. 540, that’s nearly 20 percent of the death toll.

At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 strikes the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. By 9:59 a.m. the upper floors begin to collapse, and within 10 seconds, the south tower is gone. The north tower would vanish 29 minutes later. Many of the fallen were Italian-American first responders, who ran to the aid of those that were either trapped or trying to evacuate the World Trade Center.