Thomas Franklin took one of 9/11's defining photos. It has been recreated for calendars and ended up on shirts. It was even made into a postage stamp. But the photographer wasn't even supposed to be in the newsroom that morning. He'd simply stopped by to talk to his editor when someone interrupted with the news that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center. Franklin spent much of Sept. 11, 2001, in Jersey City, New Jersey, documenting history from across the Hudson River. But that afternoon, he abandoned his clear view of the Manhattan skyline to hop on a boat headed for New York City. In the middle of what he described as a "war zone," Franklin saw firefighters "fumbling" with an American flag near where the Twin Towers had fallen and fired off a burst of photos. The product: one of the most recognizable photos in history. "Years later and I still get letters from people," Franklin said. "People will tell me that the photograph makes them think of a lost loved one or reminds them of their patriotism or their faith in our country." 📸: Thomas E. Franklin, @northjerseynews/The Record, part of the USA TODAY Network