Museum Marks 2nd Anniversary, Welcomes 5.6 Million Visitors

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the day the 9/11 Memorial Museum opened its doors to the public. Six days earlier, the museum opened for a special tribute-filled dedication period including a ceremony on May 15, 2014, attended by 9/11 families, 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, active duty first responders, survivors and lower Manhattan residents and business owners.

“Here at this memorial, this museum, we come together," President Obama said at the dedication. "We stand in the footprints of two mighty towers, graced by the rush of eternal waters. We look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls... Here, we tell their story so that generations yet unborn will never forget." More than five and a half million museum visitors from all 50 states and over 150 countries have been introduced to the stories and lives of the people who died at this sacred site and more than 26 million visitors have come to pay tribute at the memorial.

In the past two years, U.S. and foreign dignitaries have also paid tribute, including former President George W. Bush, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and many others.

Additionally, Pope Francis hosted a Multireligious Meeting for Peace in the museum with leaders from various religions, communicating a message which noted that "lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten."

Educational offerings for members and visitors have expanded to include a variety of public programs including daytime talks that examine 9/11-related topics and 30 nighttime public programs featuring notable speakers such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff