Sat 9 Aug 2008
So everyone (who’s old enough) remembers the JFK shooting, and the Challenger disaster.
What other news events from your childhood really stuck with you?
Posted by IndigoRain9 answers so far!
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For me, the 2 that stuck with me were Jessica McClure, the baby who fell down the well, and the Baby M surrogacy case.
September 11.
Princess Diana dying.
Kieren Perkins winning the 1500m at the Atlanta Olympics from lane 8.
The 1980 Election. I was 4 years old and confused as to what Orville Redenbacher was doing on the TV.
I was 7 years old when the helicopters were taking the Americans out of Vietnam, and that aircraft carrier was dumping all those excess ones into the sea.
These events have been on TV repeatedly since then, but I choose to believe that I remember them from that time.
Why is my answer not showing?
Grr. All right, I’ll reconstruct it. I remember (vaguely) the 1956 elections (my family were big Adlai supporters) and for some reason the 1958 Quemoy and Matsu crisis. Also the Plain of Jars from the news stories out of Laos around that time.
Seeing Elvis in his casket on the newspaper.
Skylab falling to earth.
John Lennon being shot.
Azaria Chamberlain being taken by a dingo and the ensuing saga.
Victoria’s Ash Wednesday bushfires.
The US beating the USSR in the 1980 Olympics. I can still hear the chants of “USA! USA!”
The hostages being returned from Iran as well as the failed rescue attempt.
Mount St. Helens erupting. Volcanoes were something that happened in far off exotic lands, not in my own country.
Regan getting shot. I remember thinking that was just part of being the president and it felt like it should be routine. No matter my feelings on more recent presidents I’m glad it’s something that doesn’t happen too often.
I was in sixth grade when John Lennon got shot. I remember it being big news but at the time I couldn’t really relate to just what it meant to a lot of people.
More locally, Doug Flutie’s hail Mary pass at BC. He was a home town hero and everyone was talking about it. Also, locally, a lot of MIT pranks were big news and stick with me to this day.