What's the first news event you have a clear memory of?

[NorthernZel]

I have vague memories of the times where the leaders of Rote Armee Fraktion (a German terrorist group) committed suicide in jail in the aftermath of a plane hi-jack in Somalia.

But the first news event that is clearly in my memory was the killing of John Lennon. Boy I remember how sad my parents were.

[Fire_on_High]

Challenger and then a few months later Chernobyl.

Pop culture stuff never really caught my attention as much as historical or technological things. I completely don't remember Freddy Mercury's death, but do remember Hirohito's for example.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Apollo 11 for me.

Can't believe it'll be 40 years next month since Neil Armstrong stumbled over his words to create that memorable line.

B

And I was 3 1/2 months old when that occurred.

First memory I have is of the Patty Hearst kidnapping (I was about 5) and remember hearing bits and pieces.

Not long after that, I heard a little bit about the 1976 Presidential Election (I was in 1st grade) and we were asked who our parents were voting for. I honestly had no clue, as I didn't recall politics being discussed around me at home.

And I can recall when Elvis died . . . my grandmother was terribly upset over it (she was a big fan of The King.)

[lush]

I remember the Challanger explosion, and school stopping and putting on the news.

The one that stuck out the most was Bud Dwyer's suicide they turned on the news in the classroom, and we saw the whole bloody thing

[Toujin]

My first news memory was the Bush/Dukakis election, I was in second grade then.

I also remember watching news about the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Soviet Union, and the first Desert Storm while sitting at the dinner table with my family.

I also lived in Northern CA during the '89 quake, so I actually experienced it! I was about 8 years old at the time, and was at Hebrew school. The teachers were congratulating me when the room started shaking, so we got out of there as fast as we could. Fortunately, the synagogue, and most of Santa Clara County, didn't get much damage. We had to wear shoes in the kitchen at home for awhile, though. '

It was particularly scary for my mom, because my youngest sister was just a few months old at the time, and in her swing, which was near a large picture window. Fortunately, it didn't break, and she wasn't hurt.

I remember watching the verdict for the OJ Simpson trial in middle/highschool (the private school I went to was K-12, and grouped students based on academic ability).

I also remember watching John Glenn go into space for the second time at school.

And I remember a teacher announcing the Waco incident during class. It wasn't my teacher, but one of the others, who came to door during one of the classes looking visibly upset. She said something in the way of "It's horrible, they torched the compound, with all those children inside!"

[Gawdzillers]

I never heard a full-on story about it, but I do remember the name "Monica Lewinsky" being thrown around a lot.

[Lachrymose]

I never heard a full-on story about it, but I do remember the name "Monica Lewinsky" being thrown around a lot.

You could say she went down on history.

[Food Lady]

Being built or torn down? hehehehe

As usual, I LOL.

My first memory was either the Challenger explosion or the cyanide/Tylenol scare. I think I remember the latter first, but Challenger made a big impression.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You could say she went down on history.

I hear she's written a book, titled "I Suck At My Job."

[edible_hat]

I never heard a full-on story about it, but I do remember the name "Monica Lewinsky" being thrown around a lot.

When Bill Clinton stopped playing the saxophone for a brief dabble with the whoremonica.

[irateguy]

i remember watching Mark Spitz win one of his 7 gol medals i was 6 years old

[Primer]

Barry Goldwater running against LBJ for President of the US.

Eugene Locks running for Governor of Texas--1963ish. I still have his darn jingle running through my head.

not news, but cigarettes being advertised on TV, and doctors recommending smoking to alleviate asthma.

[Boggles]

The first news thing i can clearly remember is the Bradford City Football Fire. Also Challenger and I remember watching hillsborough on the telly with Grandad.

I have vague memories from before that with Arthur Scargill featuring prominently and I can recall the Brighton bombing of the government but i was almost 4 at the time so I think most of that would be false memories based on vague recollections and recent programmes about it.

[Bright_Star]

Hurricane Agnes in 1972. I was 7 then & my mom had taken us to Harrisburg where most of dowtown was flooded & me & my siblings were playing near the flood waters when my mom screamed at us to "GET AWAY FROM THAT DIRTY WATER NOW!!!!!"

[Eric the Grey]

Mt St Helens Eruption

We could see the plume from where we were living at the time

I lived in Portland when that happened. We got some ash fallout from it, but not much.

John F. Kennedy assassination

This is my first memory. I very clearly remember sitting on the floor with someone watching it on an old black and white TV. My mother says I couldn't remember it, but I do, even though I was not quite 3 months old at the time.


Eric the Grey