Dillards 28: A Walk Down Memory Lane

[mpheels]

3 minutes ago, CharlieInCharge said:

My first news-related memory is walking into my school office for some reason and finding all the teachers, principal and staff gathered around a small T.V. watching the first response to the Oklahoma City bombing. I was shocked because no one noticed me for several minutes and I stood watching the footage. It was awful. 

The Oklahoma City bombing isn't my earliest news memory, but it is the first time I remember feeling helpless/powerless/unsafe. I was 12 and staying with my grandparents over spring break. They were out running errands, and left me home alone to read. I had the TV on in the background when Peter Jennings broke in with the news. It was scary in general, but I remember being especially horrified by the reports of the day care center on the ground floor.

If anyone is interested, there are some recent episode of American Experience on PBS that delve into the Oklahoma City bombing and Ruby Ridge. I don't know if they are planning a full episode on Waco/David Koresh, but they did delve into it a bit in the Oklahoma City piece. I think the episodes are still available for free online, and I found them very informative. I was vaguely aware of the Ruby Ridge incident as a child, but didn't understand it. I also had a superficial understanding of Timothy McVeigh's motivations, but they explored his evolution from mainstream conservative to terrorist in really nice detail.

[CreationMuseumSeasonPass]

Hmmm, let me think about this. I would have to say 93 and 94 were pivotal years for my first news memories. 1993 because that's when the Floods of 93 hit Des Moines and I remember having to take clean water up to the state capital because the floods had infiltrated the water treatment plant. I also remember my dad pointing out a picture from the Des Moines Register of a farmer in overalls up to his waist in water.

1994 was also a pivotal year for my news memories. First, there was Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding at the Winter Olympics. I was glued to that TV set. Second was the start of the OJ Simpson trial and the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. I remember watching my parents watch the courtroom scenes every night.

If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit.

[Elvis Presby]

There were also the "Atlanta Child Murders" in the early 80's.  Way after the things I remember from 1977, but still a lot to deal with for a young Elvis.

[Four is Enough]

Y'all still walking down memory lane? OK, I'll play. My first remembrance of National News was when JFK was running for President. My parents said he'd never be President because he was Catholic. I wondered why. They said everyone hates Catholics and they're all afraid he'll try to turn the whole country Catholic. Well, THAT didn't happen..

I was in fourth grade, four years later, when he was assassinated. When nuns cry over the intercom, you KNOW something is wrong. I watched the continuous television coverage. Saw Ruby kill Oswald. It was amazing.

[PumaLover]

I vividly remember the Challenger explosion. I also remember a lot of other high profile passenger plan crashes in the early and mid 80s. I flew for the first time when I was about 7 and the whole time was worried that the plane would crash. That is something I still fear to this day. (I've also witnessed a plane crash so that's part of it too). I mostly remember a plane that crashed around Christmas and the only survivor was a little girl who said she wanted her mommy and her doll. That has always stuck with me.

I was fortunate enough to get to go to the 1996 Atlanta olympics. We had just left the park when the bomb exploded. I also remember the girls gymnastics team. I can't believe it's been over 20 years.

As for the figure skating, I took it up at the age of 35 because I always wanted to do it. Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan have always been my favorites. The other members of my figure skating club are skinny, young little kids but I don't care. I take my fat butt out there and skate anyway.

[CreationMuseumSeasonPass]

12 minutes ago, PumaLover said:

I was fortunate enough to get to go to the 1996 Atlanta olympics. We had just left the park when the bomb exploded. I also remember the girls gymnastics team. I can't believe it's been over 20 years.

As for the figure skating, I took it up at the age of 35 because I always wanted to do it. Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan have always been my favorites. The other members of my figure skating club are skinny, young little kids but I don't care. I take my fat butt out there and skate anyway.

My family also went to the 1996 Olympics. The bombing happened during the night, and we were there during the afternoon of. I vividly recall my dad saying, "Don't worry, we'll come back tomorrow and see the rest of it." Wellll, that sure didn't happen.

And, yes, Keri Strug's vaulting on an injured foot was what Olympic dreams are made of.

That's awesome that you took up figure skating. My mom took up playing the piano in her mid-40s. Her teacher holds many recitals throughout the year, and even though it's my mom and a bunch of young children performing, she absolutely loves it. She says playing piano helps her manage her stress.

[SassyPants]

6 hours ago, ViolaSebastian said:

My father has two brothers, of whom he is the oldest. Back when they were kids, they were playing on a trailer that they were told in no uncertain terms to stay off of, and the youngest brother fell and broke his arm. To save face, they made up a lie and told their mother it happened playing baseball. To this day, the two younger brothers swear that it happened playing baseball, while my father remembers it involving the trailer. 

When were teens, my brother and I were fighting and my brother kicked his foot into our sliding glass door and broke it. This was in the early 70s, so probably not safety glass. No one was hurt, but we lied and told my parents we were playing football. They bought it.

[send*the*ferrets]

6 hours ago, LawsonBatesEgo said:

My birthday is September 12, but with the time difference in Australia, it means September 11 commemorations are usually all over the news. I've actually had people tell me I shouldn't celebrate my birthday because it is disrespectful. It annoys me because you can be aware of something sad that has happened, but at the end of the day, as blunt as it sounds, life goes on. You can pull up something bad that happened on every day of the year, September 11 is just (rightfully but still) a very well known one. You can't let it stop people continuing to live their lives. 

My husband's birthday is 9/11. He gets a lot of "how awful" when he tells people his birthday. He likes to say it was his birthday first  

[Gillyweed]

4 minutes ago, send*the*ferrets said:

My husband's birthday is 9/11. He gets a lot of "how awful" when he tells people his birthday. He likes to say it was his birthday first  

I know a girl who was born ON 9/11. It must have been a such a complicated mix of emotions for her parents. 

[guitar_villain]

My earliest memory was the Apollo 11 moon walk.  I remember my parents waking me up and sitting me in front of the TV and telling me to remember it.  I was 3 at the time.

That said, it's depressing to think how many cultural touchstones are past current teenager's memories.  I teach first year college students and 9-11 is fading into the mist- only a few remember it actually happening.  Reagan, the Berlin Wall, etc are all ancient history.

[Iamtheway]

4 hours ago, elliha said:

I remember the hockey match at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and my dad being into it. I had to google it and that seems correct as Sweden won the gold. I have a vague memory of the bomb in Atlanta and Muhammed Ali lighting the torch (my dad was an Ali fan so I am sure he strengthen that memory by talking about him and so on) but remember nothing of the actual sports. The first Olympics that I really followed and watched as much as I can was the Sidney Olympics and that is also my favorite Olympics. 

I remember the Lillehammer olympics. Swedens hockey win and the Kerrigan/Harding incident especially. 

The summer of 94 the soccer world cup was in the US and Sweden won the bronze. I remember a lot of those games. We stayed up late and watched and I remember being so nervous during the penalty shots in the quarter final that I had to leave the house. I sat outside with my walkman and listened to a german radio broadcast of it. No idea how I managed to get that on my walkman. But I did understand enough german to get that we won.

[jacduggar]

I have never cared about news, but my earliest significant event memory was Sally Ride going to space. I was 10 and remember wondering if she was married. Probably because I was being raised Mormon and that as all there was for girls way on back. 

[wikinggirl]

5 hours ago, elliha said:

I remember the hockey match at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and my dad being into it. I had to google it and that seems correct as Sweden won the gold. I have a vague memory of the bomb in Atlanta and Muhammed Ali lighting the torch (my dad was an Ali fan so I am sure he strengthen that memory by talking about him and so on) but remember nothing of the actual sports. The first Olympics that I really followed and watched as much as I can was the Sidney Olympics and that is also my favorite Olympics. 

 

1 hour ago, Iamtheway said:

I remember the Lillehammer olympics. Swedens hockey win and the Kerrigan/Harding incident especially. 

The summer of 94 the soccer world cup was in the US and Sweden won the bronze. I remember a lot of those games. We stayed up late and watched and I remember being so nervous during the penalty shots in the quarter final that I had to leave the house. I sat outside with my walkman and listened to a german radio broadcast of it. No idea how I managed to get that on my walkman. But I did understand enough german to get that we won.

The Lillehammer olympics is one of my first memories. My family has a cabin close by, so I remember seeing some of the skiing (and a hockey match!) and it was freezing cold on the stadium. I still (almost) think people that are to young to remember them, or *gasp* is born after them, are babies.  

[season of life]

Y'all are making me feel bad. I struggle to remember big news events that happened when I was young. I think I recall John McCain saying "take the gloves off" around 2008, but a better memory would be me watching Obama win his first presidential election. The news (CNN maybe?) was following the states and I remember being so scared at the thought of McCain winning. It was so tense for me, lol. If only I knew how stressful the 2016 election would be!

I also remember the news of the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake. 

[WiseGirl]

I remember the first moon walk. Of less importance I remember "Lost in Space" better than I remember the walk.

[FJismyheadship]

10 hours ago, Chickenbutt said:

Susan Smith? October 1994.

Maybe. That does sound familiar, and I would have been about six going on seven, so I would be old enough to wonder why a mother would do that to her children... 

[quiversR4hunting]

I remember the Carter/Regan election. We "voted" in kindergarten, I lost. I remember Regan getting shot and seeing Brady fight for gun laws.

The IRA were on the news all the time. For the longest time I thought Belfast was in the middle east because often the news story after IRA was about the Afghan war, Iran, hostages or plane hijacking. 

[choralcrusader8613]

2 minutes ago, quiversR4hunting said:

We "voted" in kindergarten, I lost.

This brought up my memory of doing that in elementary school for one of the presidential elections, and I always felt so uncomfortable about it. At that age, all it is is seeing which parents are conservative or liberal.

[quiversR4hunting]

6 minutes ago, choralcrusader8613 said:

This brought up my memory of doing that in elementary school for one of the presidential elections, and I always felt so uncomfortable about it. At that age, all it is is seeing which parents are conservative or liberal.

What's funny is I'm a twin. By brother voted for Reagan! I'm pretty sure my parents voted for Carter. 

[sansan]

Now I will be showing my age, my first memory of a big event was the day JFK was killed. Old enough to understand it but too young to really get the impact at that time.  We were having a small pool party when Robert Kennedy was shot and they announced it on the radio and this time we got it, bad crap going down. 

[FJismyheadship]

Actually, I think it was Dora Buenrostro who killed her three children in 1994. Two of them were killed at home and that's what I remember, the kids were killed at home. 

I remember being afraid my own mom was gonna hurt me after that.

[CreationMuseumSeasonPass]

I remember doing a vote for Clinton/Bush/Perot in kindergarten in 1992. I also remember going home after school and the neighborhood kids did our own presidential vote in the basement at my house. We tallied votes on my Playskool chalkboard.

I also just remembered we had music playing during our neighborhood vote. Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart. Oh good lord, maybe some memories are better left in the past.

[catlady]

I was born during the Vietnam conflict and before Watergate, but I don't remember them. I was aware that Dorothy Hamill won her medal and Jimmy Carter was elected, but the first thing that really got my attention was Jonestown. We lived in Novato CA at the time, so It was more of a local story because of Leo Ryan.  It was in the paper for days; my mom was about 32 at the time and was freaked out by the sheer number of people who died. 

[Inky]

Oooo I'm feeling pretty old LOL.

The first news memory I have is watching the funeral of Winston Churchill on television in 1965. It was a black and white tv of course. I'm not sure why I would remember that, except that it was probably the only thing on television. 

[Cheetah]

1 hour ago, quiversR4hunting said:

I remember the Carter/Regan election. We "voted" in kindergarten, I lost. I remember Regan getting shot and seeing Brady fight for gun laws.

The IRA were on the news all the time. For the longest time I thought Belfast was in the middle east because often the news story after IRA was about the Afghan war, Iran, hostages or plane hijacking. 

I was in 6th grade during the Carter/Reagan election.  My parents were apparently the only Democrats in our neighborhood in Omaha... which fact became apparent to me only after the class 'election' gave Reagan a 29-1 win.  (My parents had lived in CA when Reagan was governor.  My dad's highest praise for Reagan about 8 or 10 years after that 1980 win was, 'well, he wasn't as bad of a president as he was a governor.')