This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the construct of a “hero” and the actions of those who, starting on 9/12, were engaged in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations for the next nine months. Those attacks and the aftermath have now passed from current event to history. By focusing on a relatively recent event, students should see that history is not resigned to the distant past. Moreover, by featuring individuals and groups who responded to the 9/11 attacks in a variety of ways, students should see that history consists of more than the actions of a famous few.