What is your earliest memory of a news event that made national headlines?

[pooh bear]

You can tell I'm an Aussie ;)

 

The first news story I can recall watching was when Azaria Chamberlain was taken by the dingo at Ayres Rock. I remember all the court cases and when Lindy was sent off to prison.

 

I dont remember how old I was though - about 6 maybe.

 

"The dingo took my baby"

 

I have very vague memories of this. May be I read about it more than seeing it on the TV.

[Ellie]

JFK's assassination. I remember watching coverage with my parents and grandparents. The funny thing is though, at that time radio was still the major source of news. I was home from school sick that day, and my grandmother called my mother to tell her, "Turn on the radio. The president's been shot."

I was in school, doing school pictures, when it happened. I was in Texas at the time.

[Slartibartfast]

"The dingo took my baby"

 

I have very vague memories of this. May be I read about it more than seeing it on the TV.

 

I remember something about it?? Was the trial televised?

[TheAutumnOak]

The first thing I remember seeing live was OJ and his slo-mo white Bronco "chase". I was drifting in and out of sleep on the couch watching it. DH was probably in 3rd grade, and he doesn't remember it.

 

 

Wow, I was in college when that happened....

[springmama]

The Challenger. I was home from school because I was sick and I watched it on TV.

[Caitilin]

The Challenger explosion, and the AIDS crisis of the early 80's. My dad worked with the space program, so Challenger was something I was aware of even before the disaster; I remember my mother listening to the radio and hearing AIDS discussed for the first time.

[cathmom]

I didn't even realize Elvis died while I was alive!...I was 5 when Reagan was elected, so we must be the same age and you remember it...

 

Elvis dying was a non-event in my house...I was 6 and don't remember any mention of it.

 

Me, too.

 

On a humorous note, I once was subjected to a full tilt rant by a coworker who was incensed I didn't remember the Kennedy assassination... He barely paused when I told him I was born in '71.

 

This reminds me of that line from "When Harry Met Sally" - Harry is dating a younger woman, and he tells his friend. "I asked her where she was when Kennedy got shot, and she answered, 'Ted Kennedy was shot!?'"

[ThatCyndiGirl]

When I was a nanny in Philadelphia years ago (early 90's) a much younger nanny was riding in my car. I was playing a Beetles cassette tape on the stereo and said,"I regret that I was never able to see them in concert". She replied,"Well, why can't you go to one of their concerts?" I looked at her thusly :001_huh: and said,"John Lennon is dead" to which she replied, "OHMYGOD, JOHN LENNON IS DEAD?!?!?" Again: :001_huh:

[TXMary2]

The death of Elvis. I was 7 and my mom was crying while watching news reports.

[Ailaena]

The first thing I remember seeing live was OJ and his slo-mo white Bronco "chase". I was drifting in and out of sleep on the couch watching it. DH was probably in 3rd grade, and he doesn't remember it.

 

 

 

This made me feel ooollld, and I was only 16 when this happened...

 

I have a vague memory of the Challenger explosion occurring, but I didn't remember I remembered it until someone else mentioned it, so does that count?

 

The memory I had before I was reminded of another memory (:tongue_smilie:) was of Ted Bundy's execution. All the school was talking about it, and I felt like I was the only one who didn't know who he was. I knew more than I ever wanted to by the end of the day.

[elfgivas]

definitely the assassination of jfk.... i was watching the parade on tv when it happened : (. my one memory before that was of alan shephard being recovered out of the ocean after his first space flight.

 

yup, some of us are not quite so young ; )....

 

ann

[MaMa2005]

I"m old ;) so my first memory was JFK's assassination. I sat riveted to the television for all the news and the funeral. My dad has told many a person that I wouldn't budge from all of it. I was 2 years and 3 months old.

[LizzyBee]

The boat people who fled Vietnam after the US pulled out.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

No one has mentioned mine: Adam Walsh. We'd just moved to south FL from the midwest. I do remember the hostages form Iran. I can't remember if that was before or after Adam. I also remember Oliver North saying "I do not recall that" over and over and over.

[Kirch]

Challenger explosion, I think; I would have been 8.

[dani3boys]

The Challenger explosion. I was in second grade then and I think the whole school was watching because of the teacher on board(one of the teachers at our school had actually "tried out" and made it pretty far in the process, if I remember correctly).

 

This is what I was going to post. I was in second grade too!

[Mrs Mungo]

I was almost 5 when Elvis died, I think was the first one I remember. I remember discussion of it in my house, later my aunt took me to a memorial movie thing.

[amyable]

The first really big thing I remember is the Iran hostage crisis. I was about 9 years old.

 

:iagree: I was 10. I remember when Reagan was shot, too. I was shoe shopping and we heard it on the radio.

 

No wait, I just remembered something a little earlier - when Pope Paul VI died, then John Paul I was elected Pope (dying a month later), and Pope John Paul II was elected. I was 9.

[Mimm]

I remember when the Berlin Wall came down. I just looked that up and I was eight. I guess I didn't really pay attention to the news before that. :p

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

John Lennon's death. I was 10.

 

Same with me, but I think I was 11. I was in 6th grade and our choir teacher played his music over and over for a week. It was creepy.

[swellmomma]

The Challenger explosion.

 

 

Me too! I was in 3rd grade.

 

I also remember the berlin wall, and baby jessica. I graduated high school the year of OJ Simpson trial, that was the year of Waco and the oklahoma city bombing, current events in social studies was easy to find that year. I remember watching Tiananmen square on the news when I was 12.

Edited August 1, 2011 by swellmomma

[Paintedlady]

I was 5 when Elvis died. That's the first big news story I remember.

 

:iagree: We must be about the same age. That's my first new memory as well.

[ereks mom]

The first thing I remember seeing live was OJ and his slo-mo white Bronco "chase". I was drifting in and out of sleep on the couch watching it. DH was probably in 3rd grade, and he doesn't remember it.

 

Wow, I was in college when that happened....

 

:001_huh: I was 33yo and pregnant with my 2nd child when OJ's "chase" happened!

[swellmomma]

Apparently I didn't pay much attention to the news (and still don't). The only thing I really remember is the Gulf War. I was 9-10. Oh, and I remember the election between Bush and Dukakis in '88.

 

 

Gosh, During the Gulf War I was in grade 8! For language arts we had to write letters to soldiers, I still have the letters the one I wrote to sent back to me.

Edited August 1, 2011 by swellmomma

[ereks mom]

The Challenger. I was home from school because I was sick and I watched it on TV.

 

I was home from school because I was sick that day too. But I wasn't a student, I was a teacher. :D

[LittleIzumi]

I remember the Baby Jessica rescue. I watched the live footage for hours, waiting to see if they would get her out safely or not. It was terrifying, and I refused to step on grates for the next two decades. I still avoid stepping on them if I can. I was 3.

[chepyl]

The Challenger Explosion, I was in first grade and we were watching it on the TV in our classroom. When the explosion happened our teacher jumped up, turned off the TV and we went outside for recess. The image of the explosion and smoke pattern is forever burned in my memory.

 

I also remember watching all the coverage of Baby Jessica with my parents.

[ereks mom]

I remember gas shortages and waiting in a long line in my parent's brown station wagon to get gas.

 

I wonder when that was....

 

Maybe around 1973? I was in 8th grade, and I remember talking about gas shortages in civics class when we did current events with Time magazine articles.

[laundrycrisis]

TV coverage of Watergate. I was 2 years old. I remember seeing Nixon's head on TV and hearing the word "Watergate" over and over.

[DianeW88]

The Apollo moon landing in 1969. I was positive the astronauts had gone to the moon for my 5th birthday celebration. :D I guess I was little full of myself at 5. :lol:

[laundrycrisis]

The Apollo moon landing in 1969. I was positive the astronauts had gone to the moon for my 5th birthday celebration. :D I guess I was little full of myself at 5. :lol:

 

:lol:

[ereks mom]

I"m old ;) so my first memory was JFK's assassination. I sat riveted to the television for all the news and the funeral. My dad has told many a person that I wouldn't budge from all of it. I was 2 years and 3 months old.

 

I was 3 years & 1 month old when JFK was assassinated, but I don't remember any of it. I do remember events that occurred in my life before that time, though--I remember the house we lived in back then, and I remember jumping on the bed, and I remember moving to GA from MI which was a few months before the JFK assassination--so I don't know why I don't remember it.

[Maus]

The Apollo moon landing when I was three and a half. DH was born that weekend, so he likes to tease me about how old I am that I can remember it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

The Apollo moon landing in 1969. I was positive the astronauts had gone to the moon for my 5th birthday celebration. :D I guess I was little full of myself at 5. :lol:

 

Me too, though I was older.

 

I was aware of the JFK assassination all my life because the registration of my birth overseas was delayed because of it. That and my "nice":glare: siblings told me that he hadn't actually been shot - it was the news of my birth that killed him.

[Princess Peach]

I remember the Reagan/Bush & Mondale/Ferraro election of 1984. I was 10 years old. I remember that I thought it was super cool that a woman was a VP candidate. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

I already said the death of Elvis was the first thing I remember, I was 4 (nearly 5) when that happened.

 

I think the first big news I remember is when the Berlin Wall came down. I was about 10.

 

I was in high school. I wrote a story for our high school newspaper about it.

 

Jim Jones

 

and

 

the hostages being released from Iran. We read the count every day in the paper of them still being held in captivity. Then, on that day we got to watch TV in the classroom (and it was my birthday, so BIG DEAL!) because it was the presidential inaugeration. I still get chills when I think about both of these events.

 

I know about Jim Jones, but I don't remember seeing it in the news at the time. I would have been 6. I remember the Iran hostages being released, but that was in early 1981, so I would have been 8. I remember several things before that.

 

John Lennon's death. I was 10.

 

I was 8. I remember his death clearly. I remember asking my dad why someone would shoot him, he told me the guy was crazy.

 

Mount St. Helens blew her side out. I was 6yrs old, was living at McChord AFB, mama was packing for our move to Guam, and stepdad was helping with emergency issues due to the situation with the volcano.

 

That was in 1980 too, I was 7, I remember that.

 

I remember watching television news with my parents in the evening when I was a child.

 

My earliest memory of the news is of Israelis with tanks and machine guns fighting against Palestinians who had only rocks.

 

I remember that, but it wasn't a specific event, that was a whole series of events. I'm not even sure one could pinpoint a year for that.

 

The Challenger explosion. I was in second grade then and I think the whole school was watching because of the teacher on board(one of the teachers at our school had actually "tried out" and made it pretty far in the process, if I remember correctly).

 

The Challenger explosion was 1986, I was 13.

 

Nixon resigning

Hostages being released

Carter's election (my grandparents were huge Carter supporters)

First space shuttle launch and landing

 

I remember the first space shuttle launch and landing, that was 1981.

 

Apparently I didn't pay much attention to the news (and still don't). The only thing I really remember is the Gulf War. I was 9-10. Oh, and I remember the election between Bush and Dukakis in '88.

 

I was in college when the first Gulf War happened.

 

I remember staying up all night watching the election returns when Carter was elected. I was 6. I had a map to color in. I have done that for every election since then.

 

I remember the hostages in Iran and three events in particular--when the crisis started, the first time the Red Cross was allowed to see the hostages, and when they were freed. I was actually attending Reagan's inauguration that day.

 

I also remember when Reagan was shot. I remember my teacher, Mr. Ortega running into the classroom yelling, "The President has been shot!"

 

I remember Carter being president, but I don't specifically remember him being elected. I would have been barely 4 when he was elected.

 

I do remember when the hostages were freed, but not the rest.

 

I remember when Reagan was shot, I guess anything after 1980 or so I remember.

 

The first thing I remember seeing live was OJ and his slo-mo white Bronco "chase". I was drifting in and out of sleep on the couch watching it. DH was probably in 3rd grade, and he doesn't remember it.

 

My eldest was a baby when that happened. The OKC bombing happened not that long before that. Do you remember that?

 

eta: I was remembering the date of the chase wrong. It was before the OKC bombing.

 

The first news story I can recall watching was when Azaria Chamberlain was taken by the dingo at Ayres Rock. I remember all the court cases and when Lindy was sent off to prison.

 

I remember stories about this, but mostly due to the Meryl Streep movie. I don't really remember when it happened.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Mrs Mungo

[gardening momma]

When the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986. I was in 6th grade.

[bookfiend]

Endless Watergate hearings. My Grandma not happy because it interrupted her 'stories'. I was around 5 I guess.

 

Why yes, I am older than dirt. :D

 

Right there with you in the dirtpile. These are my earliest TV memories too.

[Mrs Mungo]

:001_huh: I was 33yo and pregnant with my 2nd child when OJ's "chase" happened!

 

Oh...I said that eldest was a baby, but I think that was during the trial. I guess I was pregnant with my eldest when the chase happened.

 

eta: The car chase was June of 1994. I guess it happened before we moved to California. I was thinking it happened after I moved to California. I guess I saw so much coverage about it while we lived there that I'm remembering wrong.

 

We moved to California in March of 1995, just before the OKC bombing. I'm originally from the OKC area, so that was extremely hard to be away from home during that time.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Mrs Mungo

[Joanne]

Watergate. It pre-empted Captain Kangeroo and Romper Room. ;)

[GWOB]

I vividly remember the Iran Contra Affair. My dad had just recently been laid-off and watched the news all day long. I remember sitting in the school lunch room and watching the Challenger explosion. I was 5 and in Kindy. I always watched the news with my parents, but those are the first real memories that stand out in my mind.

[Spryte]

The assassination attempt on Reagan. I was in 2nd grade.

[kchara]

I think the first thing I really remember is the Challenger exploding. They pulled all of the G&T kids out of class, and we watched it by ourselves. I think they had us doing some sort of space unit study at that point. I was 8. I wanted to be an astronaut for years after that (until I was in high school and realized I really didn't have it in me), and Christa McAuliffe was my childhood hero.

 

I seem to remember the Iran hostage crisis, and the hostages being released, but I was only about 3 at the time, so that's probably just hearing it and watching the newsreels a million times since then.

[melbotoast]

The earliest things I remember are:

OJ Simpson

Princess Diana's death

And I watched the 9/11 attacks on TV in high school.

Don't make me tell you how old(young) I am. :001_smile:

[Jean in Newcastle]

The earliest things I remember are:

OJ Simpson

Princess Diana's death

And I watched the 9/11 attacks on TV in high school.

Don't make me tell you how old(young) I am. :001_smile:

 

Don't worry, you just told us!:D

[RahRah]

I remember the gathering at our house more than the actual event - but that memory is of the first walk on the moon, I'd just turned three a couple of months before that. All the adults gathered at our house were very excited about it and glued to the television.

 

I vividly remember the re-election of Nixon, mostly because in elementary school we were all chanting a variety of political slogans as we learned about the process electing the President. So I'd say that is the first real memory of a national headline since the walk on the moon is more a memory of the event gathering than the event itself.

Edited August 1, 2011 by RahRah

[ereks mom]

Don't worry, you just told us!:D

 

:lol: I'm thinking she's about the age of one of my children!

[Mrs Mungo]

The earliest things I remember are:

OJ Simpson

Princess Diana's death

And I watched the 9/11 attacks on TV in high school.

Don't make me tell you how old(young) I am. :001_smile:

 

I learned about Princess Diana's death on an internet board. We were living in VA then. We were only there for 6 months in 1997.

 

We were living in Germany when the 9/11 attacks happened.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Mrs Mungo

[skirch]

Watergate.

Yep, me too. I was prob 4 or 5 at the time.

 

The day I remember so vividly though is Elvis' death. I was 10 and it was like the world just stopped. It's all the adults were talking about, and everyone was sad. I went across the street to my friend's house and his mom was sitting in a bean bag chair in front of the stereo just bawling. It was a surreal day.

[pooh bear]

I was 8 days old when Elvis died.

 

Dh was 15 and came home from school to find his mom in tears. Dh thought some one in his family had died. Nope, just Elvis.