Without television, radio or any other audio or visual medium.
It would go something like this:
FIRST CLUE: Something hit the World Trade Center this morning.
UPDATE: Something hit the World Trade Center again, this time the south tower
UPDATE: World Trade Center towers fall. Eyewitnesses divided as to what caused towers at the World Trade Center to come down.
At this point, we would have a basic understanding that part of the World Trade Center had fallen down. We also would have the impression that objects struck at least two of the towers.
We could form a tentative conclusion that the objects caused the towers to fall. We could also infer that airplanes struck the towers because if objects caused towers to fall, the objects would have to be large enough, like airplanes. Also, the most common large objects to fly are airplanes. But we would want more information.
SECOND CLUE: Something hit the Pentagon later in the day.
UPDATE: Part of the Pentagon crumbled down.
UPDATE: Eyewitnesses saw airplane flying near the Pentagon at the time of its partial collapse.
Another building down! And this time eyewitnesses appear more certain a plane was involved. We might assume that because of these reports that planes were also used at the World Trade Center, but that still might be premature.
THIRD CLUE: A plane reportedly crashed in Pennsylvania not long after part of the Pentagon fell.
Another plane has allegedly crashed! There must be a connection, right?
FOURTH CLUE: Four flights reportedly went off path that day.
UPDATE: Each flight reportedly went off path and flew in the direction of one of the crash sites.
UPDATE: Four flights have been identified as connected to the plane crashes: American Airlines 11 and United Airlines 175 at the north and south towers of the World Trade Center; American Airlines 77 at the Pentagon and United 93 at Pennsylvania.
It is beginning to sound like a conclusion could be made about the flights and the buildings, but would this be enough?
FIFTH CLUE: Official source does not show that American 11 and American 77 took off that morning.
UPDATE: FBI reports that airline agent confirms seeing “American 11” as empty plane on runway AFTER it allegedly struck the World Trade Center.
Hold it on the airplanes! Two of the flights never took off. We might wonder how these flights were identified. We might also ask if this report means that United 175 and United 93 DID take off.
SIXTH CLUE: Reports of phone calls on all four flights from passengers and flight attendants calling loved ones. Many of those receiving calls report cell phones used by those on flights.
UPDATE: Experts say cell phones do not work at most altitudes on airplanes.
So, these passengers must have used air phones, then, right?
UPDATE: Air phones probably not available on American Airlines flights.
SEVENTH CLUE: Investigators at crash scenes fail to find pieces of plane that be positively identified as from any of planes allegedly used.
UPDATE: DNA of some passengers reportedly found at crash scenes.
They found evidence of passengers but not planes. We would wonder at this juxtaposition of evidence. We might wonder where information not readily visible, like the DNA, is really coming from.
EIGHTH CLUE: United Flights 175 and 93 tracked by ACARS flying toward Midwest long after their alleged crashes.
What conclusions about the events of 9/11 would YOU form based on these clues and the partial analysis?