Days after the Twin Tower attacks on September 11, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh gas station owner, was shot to death in Mesa, Arizona in one of the first acts of retaliation targeting Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and South Asian Americans. This turban, which he once wore, was donated to the National Museum of American History by his family.
This checkpoint floor mat was designed and used by the TSA in 2002 to help manage the large number of people now being put through stricter and more thorough screenings. It helped travelers know where to stand while being wanded or patted down.
The now familiar gray screening trays were designed by the TSA in 2002. Similar objects of varying size and color had previously existed at security checkpoints, but the gray bins were an innovation by the TSA to make security more uniform. These bins were used at security checkpoints at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 2002.
Sign used at checkpoints at Grand Forks International Airport in North Dakota in 2002 that advises passengers that fireworks are prohibited on the commercial flights and will be confiscated by TSA screeners. It reads "Warning! Fireworks Forbidden."
This uniform shirt was worn by security screener Terry Briggs at Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). Terry Briggs joined TSA in March 2002 as one of the first three-hundred federal security screeners to be hired, trained, and deployed by the agency.
This computer keyboard, serial number AP42436B26FA, was part of a collection of equipment and possessions recovered from the wreckage of the Pentagon after the September 11 attack.
This twisted and torn piece of metal fuselage is painted gray with a portion of a white letter "R" from the airline name "United Airlines" painted on it. Many bolt holes are visible on the side of the fuselage. The reverse side is yellow and green, painted by the recovery team to denote that the metal came from one of the planes.
This seat belt was salvaged from the wreckage of United Flight 93 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. The seat belt is made of dark fabric. United 93 was the only flight that did not reach its intended target, thanks to the courageous attempt of the passengers to reclaim control of the plane from the hijackers.