Thread by @BGrueskin

The first drafts of the first draft of history, starting about 10 minutes after Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

The Online WSJ office scrambled to update the story while being told to stay in the building -- which was across the street from the WTC 1/

Now, 30 minutes later, and it's chaos with the south tower in flames. This draft includes a line that while CNN reported a passenger jet had crashed into WTC, "witnesses said the plane looked too small to be a commercial aircraft." (Our staff was too close to see the planes.) 2

Now, it's 60 minutes after the first attack. The Online Journal has been turned over to editors in Brussels and Hong Kong. "The FBI was investigating reports of a plane hijacking before the crashes." 3

A bit more than 90 minutes after the first attack: "One Tower Falls." This version includes an eyewitness, and a typo: "Metal was coming down around me. I sounded like when a plane hits the sound barrier." 4

A few minutes after that one, "Both Towers Fall."

It's the WSJ, so the lede begins with, "Wall Street came to halt Tuesday..." 5

The lede gets changed a few minutes later: " In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and knocked down the twin 110-story towers Tuesday morning." 6

By 845 pm, there's a full account, including this: "More than 9 hours after the U.S. attacks began, explosions could be heard north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, but American officials said the US wasn't responsible. 'I don't know who's doing it,' a Pentagon spokesman said"

The story about how the Online WSJ staff covered 9/11 is here, via then-Deputy ME @pettitd. (Including this photo my wife took as she and our youngest were being evacuated across the Hudson as the north tower collapsed)

wsj.com/articles/SB100…