I'm Rory Stewart and I grew up wanting to be a hero and I'm still fascinated by the ideas of heroism.

In my new series, I'm taking in the long sweep of history from Achilles to Zelensky and asking, what is a hero?

Simply doing your job, being a decent human being.

A true hero is someone who just kind of shines by

their own light and that light is to be recognised by others. The Long History of Heroism

with me, Rory Stewart. Listen on BBC Sounds.

Hello and thank you for downloading the podcast of Witness History from the BBC World Service with me, Simon Watts.

All this week we're looking back at the events surrounding the Al-Qaeda attacks against America in September 2001.

Today, how the news was broken to President Bush as he visited a school.

We understand that there has been a plane crash on the southern tip of Manhattan.

You're looking at the World Trade Center.

We understand...

On the morning of September the 11th, 2001, President Bush was in Florida to promote his education policies.

As he arrived for his first appearance of the day, his officials began to hear worrying news from New York,

among them White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card.

He spoke to the BBC in 2011. As we were heading over to this

elementary school, the Emma E. Booker School in Sarasota, Florida, there was a buzz in the air.

People kind of asking a question, anybody hear about a plane crash in New York City?

We don't know if it was a commercial aircraft. We don't know if it was a private aircraft.

We have no idea.

Then, very shortly after that, the president was standing by the door to the classroom

with the principal of the school, and the lead person from the Situation Room staff came up

...