NEW YORK, NY.- The National September 11 Memorial & Museum today recognizes the Museum's first year of operations that began with a presidential dedication and special visiting days for the 9/11 community.

Nearly 2.7 million visitors from all 50 states and more than 150 countries have visited the Museum since its dedicated opening on May 15, 2014. It opened to the public on May 21 after a days-long dedication period for 9/11 family members, first responders, survivors, rescue and recovery workers, lower Manhattan residents and others.

U.S. and foreign dignitaries have been among the visitors, including President Barack Obama, former President George Bush, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh. Other prominent visitors include major sports teams, cultural icons and veterans groups, including Wounded Warriors, Team Red, White and Blue, The Mission Continues and Gold Star Mothers, which have been some of the most meaningful visits.

In recognition of the first anniversary of the Museum, the National 9/11 Flag, a tattered flag recovered from Ground Zero that was restored in "stitching ceremonies" held across the country by the nonprofit organization New York Says Thank You Foundation, will be put on display. It was transferred to the Museum in a ceremony to mark the public opening day on May 21, 2014, and will be exhibited beginning on May 21, 2015. The Museum will also feature a new exhibit called Beyond Ground Zero: 9/11 and the American Landscape, Photographs by Jonathan C. Hyman, which is open in the Museum's South Tower Gallery. This selection of images chronicles various ways in which the public paid tribute to 9/11 victims and examined the attacks through improvised memorials and grassroots gestures created within days of the events and over the years.

"In the year since we opened the doors to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, millions of people from around the world have visited to learn more about what happened that day and about those we lost," 9/11 Memorial Chairman Michael R. Bloomberg said. "The Museum has shared powerful stories of heroism and compassion while helping to spread understanding about how the attacks of 9/11 have shaped our world, and we look forward to welcoming millions more visitors in the years to come."

"The success of the Museum ensures that this place will forever stand as a solemn tribute to those who were killed and serve to educate this and future generations about one of the most important events in our nation's 239-year history," 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said. "The Museum provides all those who visit with a comprehensive story of what happened that September morning, the events that led up to 9/11 and the response that took place in the aftermath."

"As we mark the one-year anniversary of the historic opening of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, we remain deeply humbled by the impassioned response of visitors from all walks of life and coming from around the world who tell us how deeply moved they are by their Museum experience," 9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald said. "With many electing to stay long beyond the planned duration of their visits, and with others already planning return visits, it is clear that the story of 9/11 and its aftermath as told in the Museum resonates deeply."

Hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world have left messages of remembrance in different languages through the Museum's beam signing exhibit. Others have recorded videos discussing the impact of 9/11 in an exhibit called Reflecting on 9/11.

In its first year, the Museum has focused on deepening its mission to educate future generations about 9/11 with the successful launch of education programs and weekly activities for students in grades K-12. Its popular Classroom Workshops has challenged thousands of students to think critically about a wide range of topics related to 9/11. The Museum has also created a semester-long ambassador program for selected high school students, providing a behind-the-scenes look into the Museum. Additionally, the Museum introduced public programs that allow attendees to develop contemporary connections to the history and evolving legacy of 9/11 and promote a dialogue that diversifies and expands the understanding of this seminal moment, its precursors and its ongoing impacts.