It’s the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Both Washington D.C. and New York City are commemorating the occasion with ceremonies this morning.
And this seems like an apt time to go back through the history of terrorist attacks in the United States and see how things have changed since Sept. 11.
First, some terms: The FBI says that there “is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism,” but the U.S. federal code defines it as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”
The best data on terrorism can be found in this big December report from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. Note that their analysis only runs through 2011 — so the April 2013 Boston marathon bombings aren’t included. Here are some of the key findings:
MORE: Nine facts about terrorism in the United States since 9/11.