Where were you when...

[charliesmum]

_geekie_ Had an interesting post about today being the anniversary of the space shuttle blowing up with the teacher on board, and how clearly she remembers it since it was a part of her childhood. (read her post, very eloquent.)

It got me thinking about those moments, those 'where were you' moments, and which ones are strictly part of one's own generation. For example, my mother can tell you about what she was doing the day Kennedy was shot. (She had a date, they went out anyway only to find everything closed.)

I remember the day Ronald Regan was shot. I was in 8th grade. I remember watching the news and hearing that Jim Brady died, and I felt very sad about it, and was equally happy when they announced a few minutes later that he wasn't actually dead. His wife went on to be a big gun control advocate. I also remember when John Lennon was killed. Also while I was in Junior High.

However, if I had to pick just one thing, the event that really affected me was the Jonestown Suicide cult. I was 10, and it was probably the first real inkling I ever had that the world could be a very horrible place. It was everywhere, on the news, in magazines and newspapers, everywhere. Time Magazine had a photograph of a vat of cyanide-laced grape kool-aide surrounded by dead bodies. I still remember the nightmare I had because of that magazine. In my dream I was at my friend's house, who lived 5 doors down from me. Everyone in the neighborhood had a table set up in their driveway with a vat of kool-aide, and in my dream I drank some, and then walked home, thinking 'in 7 minutes I'm going to die.' It was not a good dream. And no, I have not been able to drink grape-juice since then. (It's Charlie's favorite drink at the moment, and I still have trouble looking at it. I do like red wine though. Go figure.)

So, that's my moment. What's yours?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_geekie_/]

For my mom, she remembers her manly, burly, outdoorsy father crying when he found out that JFK died. She was moved by my grandpa's show of mourning for the country's president.

Shall I unlock my post, then? Even though there's some shameless Apple pimpage in?

[crossbow1.livejournal.com]

I was in English class when Reagan was shot. Someone from the office came into the classroom and whispered something to the teacher, and she put her hands over her eyes and said, "Oh, no, not again!" and I knew exactly what had happened.

I rememeber the space shuttle exploding too. I don't know where I was, but I was watching the launch, and I remember how you could see the trajectory go all wonky, and then you had about a split second to absorb the idea of "certain death" before it exploded.

[katje0711.livejournal.com]

I remember I was in elementary school when Reagan was shot and we all went into one classroom to watch it on TV. I also remember Reagan's inauguration when it was too cold to have it outside. I remember the shuttle blowing up, when I was in high school and we talked about it in class. And then of course, I remember Sept 11. I was at home watching one of the morning shows when they cut in and said a plane hit one of the twin towers. They then went to the scene and I saw the other plane hit and later watched in horror as the towers fell. That day has had the biggest impression on my life.

[vampirehobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm still 17, so for me it's got to be the WTC attacks. I was on holiday in Germany at the time at it was the afternoon or evening when we heard the news. I was terrified because my best friend was supposed to leave for New York a few days after that.

My great aunt, however, had unfortunate wedding timing- JFK died just the day before she got married and everyone at the ceremony was crying because of it. Yes, even though we're not American.