Portrait of Salem al-Hazmi

Birthday profile

Salem al-Hazmi

Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (died 2001)

Born
February 2, 1981
Died
September 11, 2001
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1981

About Salem al-Hazmi

Salem Muhammed al-Hazmi (Arabic: سالم الحازمي, romanized: Sālam al-Ḥāzmī; February 2, 1981 – September 11, 2001) was a Saudi terrorist hijacker who was one of the five hijackers who assisted in the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 77 as part of the September 11 attacks. Al-Hazmi had a relatively long history with al-Qaeda before being selected for the attacks. He obtained a tourist visa through the Visa Express program and arrived in the United States in June 2001 where he would settle in New Jersey with other American 77 hijackers up until the attacks. On September 11, 2001, al-Hazmi boarded Flight 77, alongside four accomplices, including his older brother Nawaf al-Hazmi. He and his team of hijackers helped subdue the passengers and crew, allowing the team's suicide pilot, Hani Hanjour, to take control of the plane and deliberately crash it into the Pentagon, near Washington, D.C., killing everyone aboard the flight, including al-Hazmi. Al-Hazmi had turned 20 that same year, making him the youngest of the nineteen terrorists to perpetrate the attacks. Salem Muhammed al-Hazmi was born on February 2, 1981, to Muhammad Salim al-Hazmi, a grocer, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Salem al-Hazmi was an al-Qaeda veteran by the time he was selected for participation in the 9/11 attacks. His father described Salem as a quarrelsome teenager who had problems with alcohol and petty theft. The aircraft was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., killing everyone aboard the flight, including al-Hazmi.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Salem al-Hazmi was born

Salem al-Hazmi was born in 1981. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1981

  • #1 song"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
  • Top movieChariots of Fire
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns
  • Top headlineMTV launches
  • Technology milestoneIBM launches the PC
  • Defining fadPac-Man fever
  • Notable inventionIBM PC (personal computer)
  • World population4.53 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population229.5M

1981 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Salem al-Hazmi's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19812026
Gas$1.31$3.45/gal
Average home$68,900$435,000
Average income$22,388$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.78$11.95
Postage stamp$0.18$0.73
Population229.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, The Guardian, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.