The Observer SIX MONTHS THAT 17 March 2002 The Observer CHANGED A YEAR

The planes strike – as Martin Amis televisions, complaining they'd seen it all before. 9/11 memorably describes them – ‘sleeking in like Today in these pages, we help you make up harsh metal ducklings’. Tony Blair publicly drains every your own mind about the absolute necessity of fighting drop of blood from his wife to help the injured of New the ongoing war that is Operation Improving York. Taking his time, George W. Bush formulates a Bloodbath... measured response… which turns out to be the most expensive bollocking ever unleashed against shepherds. But are we starting to forget? Figures show that even as An Absolute Atrocity Special by the second tower fell, people were switching off their Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris

Photo: Bush reacts with horror to the news that Enron has gone bankrupt.

ROBERT FISK How I smashed my own face in shouting ARTHUR SMITH How I missed the plane ALSO... ‘Don’t help me, I deserve this’ in front of thousands of PIERS MORGAN How I became the new Hugh Cudlipp The resurgence of Kenneth Branagh since 11 September: Inside bewildered refugees by digging up James Cameron and Malcolm Muggeridge pure coincidence? HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR AWARD-WINNING COVERAGE: CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS How to drink Kabul dry in 72 and sitting their corpses behind desks at the Mirror hours and still keep your forelock fetchingly draped over POLLY TOYNBEE My 14 months undercover in an JULIE BURCHILL How I liberated Kandahar with the your forehead THANKS TO ARTHUR MATTHEWS AND WARP RECORDS al-Qaeda training camp news that Tony Parsons is a bastard DECCA AITKENHEAD: How I got spazzed off my baps on PEREGRINE WORSTHORNE How I parachuted with the Afghan Spangles to the sounds of DJ Smack Poppy’s Marines into Kabul and found a bearded Polly Toynbee bangin’ US Barrage shouting anti-American obscenities