Monumental moments and where you were.

[Ghostof]

This topic came up this morning on 810AM. What are some of the standout events that happened in your life and where were you when it happened.


We were called into the gym in 1986 to watch the shuttle live, and when it blew up, we were quickly ushered out. I was in 6th grade that year.


Of course on 9/11, I was driving to work listening to 93.3 and 98.9. 93.3 said that a rocket had struck the tower and world war 3 was starting. I changed it to 98.9 and rushed to work, glued to the station on the drive to, during work, and then came back home because we hadnt heard from my wifes parents who were at the Empire state building. They were at a doctors convention and were supposed to be at WTC at 11:00 that morning for more seminars. I'll never forget that day.

[Saulbadguy]

WTC- At work. A co-worker told me a plane had hit the WTC, so I thought "hmm..probably a cessna or something".

Space Shuttle Columbia - In the shower. Turned on the radio for the first time that morning, and ABC announced it.

Oklahoma city - Came home from school that day (I was in 7th grade IIRC), dad told me about it.

Flashbulb memory...you'll never forget these things.

[Ghostof]

Its ironic that I can name where I was during those times, but cant remember birthdays, unless its mine.

[Saulbadguy]

Its ironic that I can name where I was during those times, but cant remember birthdays, unless its mine.
Its scientific.
http://www.brainchannels.com/Memory/emotion/emotion.html

[KCWolfman]

July 20, 1969 - In a pre-kindergarten daycare watching the first moon landing. I cracked my head later that day when attempting to jump from my own "lunar lander" to the surface. I found no matter how much you pretend, gravity doesn't give a damn.

September 5, 1975. Ms. Payne's 6th grade classroom. We were sent home early when an assassination attempt was made by Squeaky Fromme on Gerald Ford

April 2, 1982 putting my brother on a plane in the Air Force. We hear about the Fakland Islands invasion and he is sent there 2 days later to assist the Brits.

1986 Watching the shuttle with my new wife and explaining how it will benefit mankind. Disappointed this was the first launch not to be nationally televised on broadcast television.

Sept 11 - At work and watching the horror on the internet frame by frame. Amazed over the next several months how empty the skies look without airplanes.

[Lzen]

Hmm, space shuttle I was at home sick with the flu. My mom and sister were home sick, too. I remember watching that on TV. What a crappy day.

911 I was here at work. My coworker came by and said that a plane just flew into the WTC. I didn't think too much of it. Thought he meant a small commuter plane or something. He kept giving me reports as the morning went along and it didn't take long to dawn on me what was going on. I spent most of the remainder of the day on the internet. Mainly here.

One other event that I remember as a kid. They were talking about Skylab coming out of orbit. Scared the crap out of me. I thought it would fall on me. ROFL

[Slayer Diablo]

9/11 we were sitting in Life Education talking about the Florida shark attacks.

[|Zach|]

9\11. I was in bed and watched it unfold on TV as soon as the stations picked it up during the confusing times where nobody was sure what was going on. It was supposed to be one of the best days. The day before we beat Rockhurst in one of the biggest games I ever played in. The game really didn't matter to much...I drove to school and heard the 2nd tower go down through the radio...

I really don't remember Oklahoma. Not because I was to young but it it didn't really have as much of an impact.

[Coach]

Not sure the dates were on some of them, but the Columbia shuttle explosion when they were returning to Earth. Was at home when I flipped the channel to CNN and they broke into a breaking-news.

9/11 - Woke up exactly the same time the first plane struck the tower, and just flipped the channel on before heading to my class, and saw that ABC News were talking about the attacks. Never went to class.

OKC bombing. Was suprised about this one. I think it was Nichols that used to live in Herington, which isn't too far from where I live, and that's where my grandparents live. Also some reports stated that McVeigh bought some barrels from a AMPI in the town I live in.

I don't recall where I was as of this time, but I do remember watching it on TV when I came home and my mother was watching this.

[Hammock Parties]

9/11 I was driving to school. Interestingly enough no classes were canceled and it was a pretty much normal day for me. My dad spent all day in front of the TV, though.

I was taking a bath when the Berlin wall came down.

[KC Jones]

Glad you posted this as I really wanted to call in to the show and never had the chance.

Two dates really stand out to me:

1) 9/11 - Running late for work, flipped on the tube and saw replays of plane 1 hitting the tower. I eventually went in to work and really didn't fathom what had happened. We all took turns going to a conference room where a TV had been set up to catch up with what was going on. Eventually the CEO sent an email to everyone telling them to go home to their families.

2) November 9th, 1989 - When they started tearing down the Berlin wall. I will never forget the feeling of absolute euphoria that passed over me. My mothers family of German jews had somehow survived the holocaust and eventually fled east Germany. In the months after WWII my father had been a border guard in West Germany. On that day, I felt as if a great unjustice had been undone, and all things were possible.

[jollymon]

9/11 I was at work when the planes hit the tower. I was working in the mines during the day at that time and going to class at night. I think I was probably running the scoop at that point and about 10 minutes after the first plane hit the tower the outside man called for me to come out and pick up some rock dust and some timbers for the post-shift that day. Once I got outside I reckon they had heard about the towers being hit and that we were under attack. I was totally stunned because being I guess 19 at the time I had always thought we were invincible and nothing like Pearl Harbor would ever happen again. I then proceeded to load my scoop and went back to the face. Once I got there I told the boss about the attacks and he looked at me and said, "I'll be damned Jolly the russians could blow up this whole damned country and we could just come out from work a few hours after it happens and possibly be some of the last survivors of some sort of holocaust." It really hit me hard once he told me that. I had a night class that day and went to it. It was an International Economics class that was some sort of telecourse thing where it was broadcast between Southeast's 3 campuses, and we had some sort of roundtable discussion about it. I told them that since they refer to those areas as "God's Land" that we oughta just give it back to God and do some real quick renovations by turning Iraq (I figured they really were behind it) into a sea of glass. That wasn't taken well and I was labeled a war-hawk conservative, but eh gotta love them liberals....

Oh about the Russian reference he was late 40's, maybe 48 or 49 so those damn "reds" were the big enemy in his day.

[jollymon]

On another note I remember reading this book about Lincoln when I was in like the first grade and told my dad that I thought he was so awesome and I couldn't wait to finish reading the biography. My dad then told me that he could save me the trouble and said the North won, the slaves were freed, and that Lincoln got shot. I never finished that book.

And that is where I was when I learned that Lincoln was shot....I also learned that Lincoln was on a 5-spot because mom made him give me one when I ran and asked her if dad was lieing (he was known for the lies like that).

[DJay23]

Hmm, space shuttle I was at home sick with the flu. My mom and sister were home sick, too. I remember watching that on TV. What a crappy day.

911 I was here at work. My coworker came by and said that a plane just flew into the WTC. I didn't think too much of it. Thought he meant a small commuter plane or something. He kept giving me reports as the morning went along and it didn't take long to dawn on me what was going on. I spent most of the remainder of the day on the internet. Mainly here.

One other event that I remember as a kid. They were talking about Skylab coming out of orbit. Scared the crap out of me. I thought it would fall on me. ROFL
You are living my alternate life.

Challenger disaster: home sick with the flu (puked all over my dad) I was only in second grade, I didn't understand what was going on. I thought it was old footage.

911 I was at work. In fact I was in my second full week of student teaching. My coop came in and told me a plane crashed into the WTC. Like you, I didn't think a whole lot of it must have been a commuter plane that lost power or something. And that, damn a lot of people must have died, that sucks. Then, my coop came back and told me about the second plane and the pentagon, and I knew we were under attack.

That was my 6th day of teaching and it still remains after over 3 years as my toughest.

[Nzoner]

I remember laying in bed watching football when Howard Cosell announced to the Monday Night Football viewers that John Lennon had just been shot.

[ROYC75]

Space Shuttle.... I was at a NAPA Auto parts store @ 9th St and Ks Ave getting parts for my car when it came on the TV.

WTC .... Home working in the office.

1st man on the moon......home in KS watching it on a B&W white TV.

Chiefs 1st SB ... at my grandmas watching on a B&W tv

Chiefs SB win .... watching it on a B&W tv

Damn, I'm old.........

[jollymon]

You are living my alternate life.

Challenger disaster: home sick with the flu (puked all over my dad) I was only in second grade, I didn't understand what was going on. I thought it was old footage.

911 I was at work. In fact I was in my second full week of student teaching. My coop came in and told me a plane crashed into the WTC. Like you, I didn't think a whole lot of it must have been a commuter plane that lost power or something. And that, damn a lot of people must have died, that sucks. Then, my coop came back and told me about the second plane and the pentagon, and I knew we were under attack.

That was my 6th day of teaching and it still remains after over 3 years as my toughest.


What subject/grade do you teach? I teach High School Social Studies. 1st year. I teach Integrated Social Studies and World Civ.

[2bikemike]

Space shuttle blew up and I was in the Navy sitting on the Mess deck onboard the ship watching the news reports on TV.

9/11 I was still in bed and my daughter was getting ready for school and came in and woke me up with the news.

Last Space shuttle disaster I was at Mammoth Mountain ski resort getting ready to hit the slopes.

[MonroeChief]

First Shuttle disaster: I was in a conference room with co-workers reviewing a project. Our HR Manager stuck his head in and told us that the shuttle had just blown up at launch. The President of the company told him to get out, we didn't need to know what was going on outside the room.

9/11: On the road working on a project. I had just missed the Chiefs-Raiders game on the day following the first 37 Forever get together. I was working away at a plant that discouraged radio's and didn't let the employees wear their cell phones at work. I called home to let my wife know I was heading home the next day. She informed me of the first three planes. The rest is history and everyone knows it.

Second Shuttle disaster: At the eye doctors office picking up contact lenses.

Kennedy assasination: Sixth Grade, Mrs. Garrett's class. She almost went off the deep end, she was Catholic and it really hit her hard. We all went home an hour later.

OK City: I'd just driven through town the day before, returning from the left coast on business.

Bush re-elected: At home in Monroe, LA

[Slayer Diablo]

Space Shuttle Columbia: asleep at home

Bush's re-election (here's the positive monumental moment that I remember) : We were in AP American History when a republican teacher went around to announce that Bush had officially won Ohio.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Shuttle explosion, in Mrs. Willits' 2nd grade classroom watching on a feed the school subscribed to.

WTC, at work (a newspaper).

Empire Strikes Back (I know, not "significant" in the traditional and serious sense, but it was significant to me!) on my mom's lap in a theater in Ft. Smith.

[Hammock Parties]

Empire Strikes Back (I know, not "significant" in the traditional and serious sense, but it was significant to me!) on my mom's lap in a theater in Ft. Smith.

Jurassic Park: front row in a theater in the DFW area. :D

[DJay23]

What subject/grade do you teach? I teach High School Social Studies. 1st year. I teach Integrated Social Studies and World Civ.
In my third year. I teach 7th grade earth science and 7th grade advanced science (biology)

[bideau]

Kudos on a great idea for a thread.

July 20, 1969 - 8 years old. I was at a beach with the family when the lunar module landed. Everyone at the beach was gathered around radios. Later that night, in front of the TV with the whole family to watch Armstrong and Aldrin step onto the moon.

January 28, 1986 - In a meeting when a manager stepped in and announced the shuttle had crashed. My first thought was the company helicopter shuttle, but quickly realized it was Challenger. The Pats had just been blown out by the Bears in SB XX. This put a different perspective on sports for me.

September 11, 2001 - I was listening to the local sports radio station at work over the internet. The story started out slowly, but within an hour, the enormity was becoming clear. Being the only person in the office who had been listening to any type of news, I became the conduit for information until someone wheeled a TV into the office. My son had just begun his freshman year at Syracuse and my first thought was to connect with him and just hear his voice. Family was the main thought on my mind.

[gblowfish]

John Lennon Shot: I was in my office at the College Radio Station where I worked doing some late night paperwork. The feature album we were playing that night was "Double Fantasy." Word came across the teletype that Lennon had been shot right when we were changing over from side 1 to side 2. I still have the paper ripped off the teletype.

Space Shuttle Blows Up: I was on the air on a radio station in Columbia, MO and we were broadcasting a special news bulletin from CBS news. It was about the launch only, not about it blowing up. All hell broke loose, obviously.

OJ Verdict: I was sitting in my car having lunch at Bobo's Drive In in Topeka, KS when the verdict was announced. I was on a sales trip for my company to Topeka.

9/11: Sitting at a stoplight at US40 and Lee's Summit Rd in Independence on my way to work. Heard that an airliner had hit the tower. Looked up in the sky and noticed the vapor trail from 2 jets flying over...and that they had both done a "U" turn, leaving a "U" shaped vapor trail. They went from headed west to headed east, probably back to land at Whiteman AFB. You never ever see that in the sky. Got to work about 5 mins later when the 2nd plane hit tower #2. Everyone at work just hung around the break room all morning watching the coverage, then a bunch of employees ran out to fill their cars up with gas, afraid of gas rationing. Weird.

[badgirl]

9/11 my sister called and told me to go turn on the tv, cause i don't watch tv much, and she said a plane just fly into the WTC, we at first thought it was an accident, and then we saw the other one hit live, scared the hell out of me, the explosion of the space shuttle, my 2 kids were very small at the time and I was in the nursery with them and I had on the radio and heard it on there and then I turned on the tv and watched. I remember those things very clearly. Didn't seem that long ago the space shuttle blew up, and my kids have already grown up and left home. Time goes by quickly