The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has had another remarkable year. Since its opening in 2011, the Memorial has welcomed more than 22 million visitors and in the Museum's first year in operation, it welcomed its four millionth visitor.

This year, our educational offerings grew to include a variety of public programs for Museum members and visitors, including talks that examine 9/11-related topics and featuring notable speakers such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Additionally, the Memorial and Museum was honored to have Pope Francis host a Multireligious Meeting for Peace with leaders from various religions in the Museum’s Foundation Hall, communicating a message which noted that "lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten."

A look back at more 2015 moments

By 9/11 Memorial staff

New Yorkers were united in many ways after Sept. 11, but the spirit of togetherness was especially strong during the holidays.

On Dec. 24, 2001, Father Brian J. Jordan, a Franciscan priest at St. Francis of Assisi Church who lost his mentor Father Mychal Judge on 9/11, led a midnight Mass. Through word-of-mouth invitation, nearly 200 people, including victims’ family members, recovery workers and first responders, gathered around the "Cross at Ground Zero," a 17-foot piece of crossbeam recovered from 6 World Trade Center and believed to have come from the North Tower. The inherent shape of the remnant quickly made it a symbol of hope and recovery, with many interpreting it as divine; it now stands in the Museum’s historical exhibition.

"We saw goodness at its best when the country and the city came together. People were praying together and it was a catharsis for them," Father Jordan recalled.

In another demonstration of unity, carpenters working a ground zero also built a platform for a menorah that was placed next to a 20-foot Christmas tree.

"That was a proud moment," said Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis and chaplain for the FDNY. Potasnik recalls the carpenters saying, "'Your menorah is not tall enough. We got to make it taller.' They would volunteer their free time [to build the platform] and made sure that Hanukkah and Christmas were on equal footing."

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

A tribute was held at the 9/11 Memorial on Wednesday to honor slain New York City police detective Joseph Lemm.

The 45-year-old was among six American service members killed in a suicide bombing on Monday, Dec. 21 in Bagram, Afghanistan. Lemm was serving his second Air National Guard deployment to Afghanistan. He had also served in Iraq.

During the tribute for the 15-year police veteran, NYPD and PAPD officers laid flowers at the South Pool where the names of 23 NYPD members who were killed on 9/11 are inscribed.

Lemm was revered by his fellow NYPD officers for his bravery and leadership. In an interview with The New York Times, Michael J. Palladino, the head of the detectives’ union in New York, called Lemm "an unassuming hero." Following the 9/11 attacks, Lemm, a Westchester County resident, returned to his small hometown of Beemer, Neb., to explain the tragic events of that day to high school students.

Lemm is survived by his wife, Christine, and two children: a teenage daughter, Brooke, and younger son, Ryan.

This marks the third tribute held at the 9/11 Memorial for fallen New York City police officers. The previous ceremonies were held in honor of officer Randolph Holder earlier this year in October, and in 2014 for officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

A pair of 9/11 artifacts have been moved to a permanent home after being stored for more than a decade at an aircraft hangar in Queens, NY.

The artifacts, a PATH train car and a piece of the antenna from the North Tower, were kept at Hangar 17 at John F. Kennedy International Airport following the 2001 terror strikes. The artifacts were moved last week to a museum and community college in upstate New York.

The train car, No. 143, was donated to the Trolley Museum of New York in Kingston, becoming the museum’s first artifact with a 9/11 connection. The Fulton-Montgomery Community College in Johnstown received a 32-foot section of the 360-foot antenna. The college plans to install the antenna on its campus near a Vietnam War memorial and the student union, according to The New York Times.

Peter L. Rinaldi, a retired Port Authority engineer said in The Times article that he first discovered the PATH rail cars in late September of 2001 "when several of us went underground to inspect the condition of the remains of the W.T.C. PATH station beneath the rubble and burning debris."

"There were six empty PATH cars still in the station at that time, three of which were badly damaged and three that were not," he said, adding it was that moment when he thought that one of the cars could possibly be saved as an artifact. 

There are 228 objects, which are mainly small, that remain at the hangar, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port has long been preserving World Trade Center remnants, including artifacts that are now on display in the 9/11 Memorial Museum like the Last Column and the so-called steel tridents.

By Christine Murphy, 9/11 Memorial Administration/Researcher