It was in this climate that Popular Mechanics took on the task of debunking the myths about the 9/11 attacks. Our first report appeared as the cover story for the March 2005 issue.
The reporting grew into a 2006 book with a forward by Sen. John McCain, which was updated with a new version in 2011.
To investigate 16 of the most prevalent claims made by conspiracy theorists, Popular Mechanics assembled a team of nine researchers and reporters who, together with PM editors, consulted more than 70 professionals in fields that form the core content of this magazine, including aviation, engineering and the military.
In the end, we were able to debunk each of these assertions with hard evidence and a healthy dose of common sense.
We learned that a few theories are based on something as innocent as a reporting error on that chaotic day.
Others are the byproducts of cynical imaginations that aim to inject suspicion and animosity into public debate. Only by confronting such poisonous claims with irrefutable facts can we understand what really happened on a day that is forever seared into world history.
