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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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A millennial woman unearthed a surprising time capsule from her childhood 'N Sync-themed diary while packing to move across the country.
Alanah Chatham (@alanahrochelle), 32, from Arizona, was clearing out her home when she stumbled upon the journal from when she was 9 years old. To her astonishment, the only entry inside was dated the day of the 9/11 attacks.
"My mom was helping me pack and I just looked up at her with my mouth wide open and started laughing. The fact it was written in an 'N Sync [boyband] journal and the only entry made it humorous," Chatham told Newsweek.
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The entry read: "Dear Diary, Tuesday a plane hit the twin tower now it's all over the news." Above the short paragraph, she had sketched the Twin Towers—over the boyband's printed photo on the diary page.
Chatham shared the moment on TikTok, where the video has garnered more than 535,700 likes and over 3.9 million views. "Yikes," she captioned the post.
"I was 9 years old in 2001. I remember I was either pulled out of class or we were all sent home. I wasn't really sure what was going on. Me and my parents met at my friend's house where they all watched the news for hours," Chatham added.
She said that she had found the diary while going through a storage bin filled with old stationery, baby dresses, and various knickknacks. The discovery instantly transported her back to that day. She was shocked to see the entry was on the very first page.
The memory resonated with viewers—especially fellow millennials—many of whom were similarly young when the attacks occurred.
The University of California, Berkeley, now have a class to help Gen Z students, who did not witness the attacks, understand how 9/11 seismically shaped the U.S. through politics, foreign policy, and social behavior.
Professor Michael Mark Cohen teaches "History of the Present: The U.S." After 9/11, he acknowledges how Americans find it extremely difficult to talk about the events since it is traumatizing and controversial.
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Though some might see humor as a strange reaction to tragedy, researchers have long noted the role comedy plays in helping people process collective trauma.
Since then, millennials and Gen Zers have often resorted to dark humor and memes to discuss the atrocity, sparking occasional outrage—especially directed at the latter age group, who did not witness the horrors of the day firsthand.
Millennials flooded the comments to share their own experiences of the day and diary entries.
"This is a primary source," wrote one user.
"This is the most millennial core thing I've ever seen. THIS IS US," commented another.
"This should be in a museum," added a third.
One commenter shared, "THESE ARE THE ANCIENT TEXTS. My 9/11 diary entry is written in a spiral notebook with a cartoon cat on the front and the next page says 'ugh Megan is mad at me. again'"—echoing the jarring blend of history and adolescent triviality.
When a viewer asked, "Was that the only diary entry?" Chatham replied, "Literally the only thing I wrote."
One user posted: "We've been unserious since 2001."
Chatham said that she has enjoyed the viral discussion the discovery enabled—many viewers told her to put the item in a museum, and others shared their stories and diary entries from that day.
"I'm glad it's kind of given millennials a safe space to share their experiences of that day too. I did receive a message from someone offering to buy it for $200," Chatham said.
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