Sept. 11 attacks 2001

Smoke pours from the twin towers of the World Trade Center after they were hit by two hijacked airliners in a terrorist attack Sept. 11, 2001, in New York.

This event tops a list of memorable moments ranked for their impact in a study by Sony Electronics and Nielsen television research company. Keep clicking to see what the others were.

Watch CBS News 9/11 coverage

Credit: Robert Giroux/Getty Images