Any possible threat in the air ended by shortly after noon.55 Every one of the thousands of planes ordered to land at the nearest airport had done so without incident, an extraordinary feat of coordination by air traffic controllers, pilots, and airport officials. Thirty-eight of those planes landed in the tiny community of Gander, Newfoundland, where they deposited nearly seven thousand passengers and crew members from more than a hundred countries, plus seventeen dogs and cats.56 An outpouring of kindness, hospitality, and generosity from the people of Gander became a bright spot on a dark
...more
