The attacks left a deep scar on the American psyche (Image: Denise Panyik-Dale via Getty Images)
Almost a quarter of a century on from the horrifying 9/11 attacks, shockwaves from the four coordinated al-Qaeda suicide strikes continue to resonate across the globe today.
Two passenger jets were deliberately flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, whilst a third aircraft ploughed into the Pentagon.
A fourth plane came down in Pennsylvania after crew members and passengers battled the terrorists aboard, thwarting their plan to hit another target believed to have been the White House. The four devastating crashes claimed the lives of 2,977 innocent victims, alongside the 19 hijackers.
Amongst the casualties were several prominent figures, including David Angell, the creative mind behind hit TV shows such as Cheers and Frasier.
However, a lucky few celebrities had remarkable narrow escapes from the day’s shocking events, either by missing flights that were subsequently hijacked or by cancelling meetings in the ill-fated towers.
Seth McFarlane missed his flight thanks to a hangover (Image: Steve Granitz, FilmMagicvia Getty Images)
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Seth MacFarlane
The mastermind behind popular animated series including Family Guy and American Dad, as well as live-action comedies such as Ted, A Million Ways to Die in the West and the Star Trek spoof The Orville, Seth MacFarlane had been scheduled to board American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles on the morning of September 11, 2001.
“I was booked on that flight, and I was drinking the night before, and I was hungover,” he subsequently disclosed in an interview.
“I missed the plane by about ten minutes,” he continued.
“It was a very close call for me.”
After booking a later flight, Seth decided to have a nap. But after waking up a few hours later, he turned on the news to discover that tragedy had struck – and that he’d had a very lucky escape.
Mark Wahlberg claimed he could have stopped the hijackers (Image: James Devaney, GC Imagesvia Getty Images)
Mark Wahlberg
Just as Seth MacFarlane had been, the Oscar-nominated star of films such as The Departed and Boogie Nights had also originally been booked on American Airlines Flight 11.
However, he changed his plans at the very last minute, deciding to fly to Toronto for a film festival instead.
The tough-guy actor faced a massive backlash after claiming that he would have been able to thwart the hijackers. In a magazine interview six months after the tragedy, Wahlberg said: “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’”
America was changed forever by the events of the day (Image: Universal History Archive, Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Deena Burnett-Bailey, whose husband Thomas Burnett was one of the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 who successfully fought the hijackers, told TMZ she was offended by Wahlberg’s remarks: “I think hindsight is 20/20 and it’s insignificant to say what you would have done if you weren’t there.
“The plan for Flight 93 was foiled by heroes. For him to speculate that his presence on board could have stopped everything is silly and disrespectful.”
In 2012, he faced fresh criticism for reiterating the remark during a Men’s Journal interview. Wahlberg subsequently apologised, stating: “I deeply apologise to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention.
“To suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible.”
Michael Jackson had been expected to meet with executives at the WTC (Image: KMazur, WireImagevia Getty Images)
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed “King of Pop,” allegedly had a breakfast appointment at the World Trade Centre on that tragic morning. Nevertheless, according to his elder brother Jermaine, he had stayed awake very late speaking with his mother and overslept.
Jermaine penned in his 2012 autobiography, You Are Not Alone Michael: Through a Brother’s Eyes: “Thankfully, none of us had had a clue that Michael was due at a meeting that morning at the top of one of the Twin Towers.
“We only discovered this when Mother phoned his hotel to make sure he was okay. She, Rebbie and a few others had left him there around 3am. ‘Mother, I’m okay, thanks to you,’ he told her. ‘You kept me up talking so late that I overslept and missed my appointment.'”
Sarah Ferguson floated the idea of a book based on the tragedies (Image: Marc Piasecki, WireImagevia Getty Images)
Sarah Ferguson
During the attacks, the Duchess of York’s charity, Chances for Children, had an office on the 101st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre. She had been scheduled to attend the office following an early-morning interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer.
The vehicle transporting her to the World Trade Centre became stuck in traffic, meaning she was still travelling to the office when the plane struck.
“The Duchess of York is desperately upset for everyone involved in this terrible tragedy,” her spokesperson said at the time. “It is unbelievable; she was just a few minutes away when the explosion took place.”
Following the collapse of the Twin Towers, the charity’s mascot – a doll named Little Red – was discovered among the debris by photographers. Years later, the duchess proposed an idea for a children’s book based on the doll’s story, but it was turned down by publishers who feared American readers would find it offensive.