You are using an outdated browser.
Please upgrade your browser
and improve your visit to our site.
Skip Navigation

America Reacts to Osama bin Laden’s Death

When news broke Sunday night that Osama bin Laden was dead—killed by a team of Navy SEALs near Islamabad, Pakistan—Americans burst into the streets to celebrate. Times Square, Ground Zero, and the White House were scenes of particular jubilation. Here, we have compiled some of the most poignant images of the revelry.

New York City

ROTC students from NYU

Ground Zero

Alex, who didn’t give his last name, says he served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine. Here he stands near Ground Zero.

New York City

A group of New Yorkers embrace in Times Square.

New York City

Aaron Clark, a FDNY firefighter, waves to a crowd in Times Square.

New York City

A man celebrates in Times Square.

Washington, D.C.

Chants of “U-S-A” went up outside the White House as huge crowds gathered to celebrate the news.

New York City

Rob Lowe—who played an aide to the president in The West Wing—stands next to an FDNY firefighter in Times Square.

Arlington, Virginia

David Huber and Nicole Lozare stand in the Pentagon memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

New York City

Two New Yorkers react to the news early this morning in Times Square.

Ground Zero

Musical accompaniment at Ground Zero.

Ground Zero

Revelers hang from a lamppost near Ground Zero.

The Home Front

For those keeping score at home.

Washington, D.C.

On the north side of the White House, they sang “The Star Spangled Banner.”

 New York City

Family members of people killed on September 11 speak to the press.

New York City

A woman exacts her own revent on bin Laden's face, plastered on the cover of the New York Daily News.

Shanksville, PA

Jeff and Barbara Ray at the Flight 93 crash site in rural Pennsylvania the day after President Obama's announcement about bin Laden.

Arlington, VA

A Marine visits the Pentagon's September 11 memorial.

Washington, D.C.

Celebration continued throughout the night in the streets around the White House.

Related Articles

Click here to read Paul Berman on the symbolic resonance of bin Laden’s death.

Click here to read Louis Klarevas on what bin Laden’s death means for the future of Al Qaeda.

Click here to read David Greenberg on the satisfying conclusion of a ten-year saga.