On This Day: 25 years since the day the world changed

There are moments in history where almost everyone remembers where they were when the news came through.

For millions of Australians, September 11, 2001 was one of them.

The night Australia stopped and watched

It was 10.46pm on Australia’s east coast when the first hijacked passenger jet struck the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center.

Seventeen minutes later, a second aircraft hit the South Tower. The Pentagon was also attacked, another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania and, before the Australian night was over, both towers had collapsed.

The attacks killed 2,977 people, including 10 Australians.

Prime Minister John Howard happened to be in Washington DC that day. The attacks and their aftermath would profoundly influence Australian foreign and defence policy for years to come.

Twenty-five years later, the images remain difficult to forget.

Australia enters combat in World War I

On September 11, 1914, Australian forces went into action at Bita Paka in German New Guinea, in what the Australian War Memorial describes as Australia’s first action of the First World War.

Their objective was a German wireless station near Rabaul. Six Australians died in the fighting, among them Able Seaman William Williams and Army medical officer Captain Brian Pockley.

The wireless station was captured that evening, marking a little-known but significant chapter in Australian military history.

Melbourne’s first tram hits the streets

Long before Melbourne became famous for its trams, it had to start somewhere.

On September 11, 1885, the city’s first cable tram service began operating between Spencer Street and Richmond.

It marked the beginning of a transport story that would eventually give Melbourne the largest operational urban tram network in the world.

The Beatles record an enduring classic

On this day in 1962, The Beatles recorded Love Me Do at EMI Studios in London.

Released as their first single in Britain the following month, the song helped introduce John, Paul, George and Ringo to a rapidly growing audience.

For millions who came of age in the 1960s, much bigger things were about to happen.

Born on this day

American singer and actress Lola Falana was born in 1942, while legendary German footballer and coach Franz Beckenbauer was born in 1945.

Do you remember?

Where were you when you first heard about the September 11 attacks? Did someone call you, or did you happen to be watching television when the news broke? Share your memories with us.