The Most Powerful 9/11 Story Ever Written

In most American Newspapers, the photograph that Richard Drew took of the Falling Man ran once and never again. Papers all over the country, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to the Memphis Commercial Appeal to The Denver Post, were forced to defend themselves against charges that they exploited a man's death, stripped him of his dignity, invaded his privacy, turned tragedy into leering pornography. Most letters of complaint stated the obvious: that someone seeing the picture had to know who it was. Still, even as Drew's photograph became at once iconic and impermissible, its subject remained unnamed. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The Falling Man]( [The Falling Man]( In most American Newspapers, the photograph that Richard Drew took of the Falling Man ran once and never again. Papers all over the country, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to the Memphis Commercial Appeal to The Denver Post, were forced to defend themselves against charges that they exploited a man's death, stripped him of his dignity, invaded his privacy, turned tragedy into leering pornography. Most letters of complaint stated the obvious: that someone seeing the picture had to know who it was. Still, even as Drew's photograph became at once iconic and impermissible, its subject remained unnamed. [Read More](     [The 21 Best Movies on Apple TV+]( [The 21 Best Movies on Apple TV+]( Pregame the arrival of Wolfs on the streamer with the likes of CODA and Killers of the Flower Moon. [Read More]( [The Presidential Debate Was Predictably Dystopian, But the Memes are Good!]( [The Presidential Debate Was Predictably Dystopian, But the Memes are Good!]( "Why does Trump always sound like he's playing Cards Against Humanity?" [Read More]( [You Want My Debate Takeaway? Harris Pitched A No-Hitter And They're Eating The Dogs In Springfield]( [You Want My Debate Takeaway? Harris Pitched A No-Hitter And They're Eating The Dogs In Springfield]( Are you expecting a serious analysis of that freak show—that encounter between an actual potential president of the United States and a rampaging, crazy, drunk uncle yelling about Doberman au poivre in Springfield, Ohio? A guy who said that everybody wanted Roe v. Wade overturned, including "all the legal scholars"? A guy who summons Viktor Orban, the Hungarian strongman, as a character reference? A guy who believes infanticide is legal...in Minnesota? The guy who warned us about immigrants eating dogs? [Read More](   [The 25 Best Games on Xbox Game Pass—Both New and Old]( [The 25 Best Games on Xbox Game Pass—Both New and Old]( $20 a month for access to hundreds of games is still the best deal in gaming. [Read More]( [Introducing Esquire Premium, a New Membership Program for Men Who Want to Dress Well]( [Introducing Esquire Premium, a New Membership Program for Men Who Want to Dress Well]( Even the most discerning style lover could use a little guidance now and then. Welcome to the Esquire Style Guides. [Read More](     ['It Became Spiritual': The Making of Esquire's The Falling Man]( ['It Became Spiritual': The Making of Esquire's The Falling Man]( Tom Junod knew he wanted to write about Richard Drew’s photograph the first time he saw it. It was Wednesday morning September 12, 2001. Junod’s wife, Janet, handed him the front section of The New York Times and said, “Look at this.” They were at home in Shelter Island. Three days earlier, Junod returned to New York from a reporting trip and the flight went down the length of Manhattan island as was custom at the time. The sun baked the World Trade Center from the west and Junod thought, “My God, we have so many fault lines in America but somehow they produced this—this mountain of gleaming metal.” And then the seemingly impossible happened. [Read More](   [ESQ Membership]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice]( | [CA Notice at Collection]( Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779