Hundreds of strangers document the same tragedy.

Virtually alone among networks, the History Channel will recall the 2001 terror attacks on this date with “102 Minutes That Changed America” (8 p.m., History). The footage has been assembled from largely unseen home video and news-feed footage.

We watch the burning towers captured by college students whose dorm was located just blocks from the World Trade Center. Their scattered, hysterical commentary seems right out of the movie “Cloverfield,” a 2008 monster movie that leaned heavily on memories and images of 9/11. A man shouts to his wife as he documents the fire just a few blocks from their apartment. A mother asks her unseen children to remain calm and not to watch as the two buildings that defined their skyline are engulfed in flames, then crumble and vanish.

As the title implies, the haunting mosaic of imagery unfolds in chronological order. Narration is limited to occasional overheard news commentary or the anxious calls of dispatchers for the fire and police departments. Except for its rather loaded title, “102 Minutes” tells us very little and explains even less. The focus is on the first-person reaction to unfolding terror. The job of explaining – and exploiting – 9/11 would come later.

Humor of the strangest sort seeps through the tragedy. We hear a young man calling a loved one as we see the buildings burn in the distance. He says he was 15 minutes away from getting to his job in the World Trade Center. He had watched football the night before and overslept. “‘Monday Night Football’ saved my life!” he explains, leaving us at a loss. Do we laugh or cry?

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ The top 10 are announced on “America’s Got Talent” (7:30 p.m., NBC).

¢ On three episodes of “The Office” (NBC), Jan and Michael host a dinner party (8 p.m.), Stanley speaks up (8:30 p.m.), Jim hits the links in search of sales (9:30 p.m.).

¢ A wrongful conviction sparks a hostage crisis on “Flashpoint” (9 p.m., CBS).