1957 - 1989
 How and where does the story of 9/11 begin? The answer is a tale of two countries: Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. 
This first episode looks into Osama bin Laden's family history and formative years, his education, and the bin Laden family's long and highly profitable relationship with the Saudi royal family.
The scene shifts after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 outrages Muslims around the world, including a young Osama bin Laden.  He was one of many who were inspired to raise money or travel to Pakistan to help the Afghans fight against the Russian occupiers. 
The episode looks at how Afghanistan fit into American foreign policy interests during the Cold War, why the Soviets ultimately withdrew, and definitively answers the question to the widely speculated rumor: did the CIA have any connections with Osama bin Laden during the war? 

It's considered one of the defining events of the 21st Century, whose consequences are still being felt and are playing out two decades later. If we are to understand how we got to that terrible day, it is necessary to understand the people and the geopolitical events that set the stage for 9/11, sometimes decades in advance. 

Based on an extensive review of the historical record, combined with original interviews with experts and insiders, this series will show how people and events - sometimes separated by time and distance - are connected and resulted in the worst terrorist attack in history.  The series covers everything from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Seal Team Six's mission in Abbottabad, and everything in between. 

Zero Hour: A History of 9/11, coming in July of 2021.