Xenia OH getting hoovered down to foundations and below by an F5 tornado in April 1974.

I specifically remember seeing the 1956 Conventions on TV. I was 6 or 7.

Cuban Missle Crisis, I was 10. I understood what was happening.

First conscious memory, for some odd reason was this:http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/ex/faces/SquareD.html
I can not think of any rational reason that I would have this memory except that back then tv news bulletins had the shrill tone, the announcement and the video was cut to a static scene of the words "news bulletin".

I can remember my great grandmother babysitting me while my parents worked, no connection to the strikers or to the Square D Corporation. She watched soap operas and Arthur Godfrey during the day, those things also stick out in my mind to this day. At that timeframe of the photo I was a wee over two and a half years old.

Cronkite giving daily casualty reports from deaths in Vietnam. Another odd thing i remember that was covered by Houston media was when Federico "Fred" Carasco tried to bust out of Huntsville prison by holding up mattresses like shields. Didn't work too well as I recall.

quote:

Originally posted by MooneyP226:
STS-51-L for me as well, 4th grade. Christa McAuliffe spent a portion of her youth local to my hometown (2 towns over) so she was celebrated as a local hero for being selected for the mission. I was VERY interested in the mission of NASA as a youngster, and was absolutely devastated when the live feed we were watching during school showed the explosion.

Later I found the science behind the tragedy fascinating, but I still remember the empty, hollow feeling thoughout the auditorium, as the scope of what just happened hit the 400-odd students in attendance.

I remembered hating O rings, even though I really had no idea what they were, I also remember being mad there weren't any more launches for years, I loved space exploration as a kid.

JFK's funeral procession.

New Year's Eve 1979. I was 5 and I Remember everyone saying how great it was that it was the 80s. I remember reagana electionnight occupying everything inn TV and the Iran hostages getting released because they all got to attend the super bowl a week later. Those were my most distinct memories.

War breaks out on the Korean peninsula.
I'm old.

"Rommel's halftracks roaring across North Africa." Perhaps that is a distorted memory of "Rommel's tanks roaring across North Africa." Or maybe I'm just a little confused about that. My Mother was crying while listening to the radio.

However, I do remember a very happy populace in Winchester, Kentucky, celebrating with an impromptu parade at the end of WW II. Dad was helping build a synthetic rubber plant. The next day we headed back to Texas.

Sputnik. Went out to look in the night sky with parents.

quote:

Originally posted by cincinnatijim:
"Rommel's halftracks roaring across North Africa." Perhaps that is a distorted memory of "Rommel's tanks roaring across North Africa."

Rommel did have halftracks.

quote:

War breaks out on the Korean peninsula.

I delivered newspapers & had a front newspaper basket. At the bottom of the page that I stared at while pedaling, was the daily map of the Korean battle lines.

The earliest news event I clearly recall is the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I went through this Timeline of United States history (1950–69) and I think I vaguely recall having been cognizant of a few earlier events (John Glenn orbiting the Earth, John F. Kennedy becoming President, Sputnik), but, I'm not certain.

John F. Kennedy's burial procession.
I found out later, the neghbors left the TV with us while they were out of town. They were afraid it would get stolen.

My earliest vivid news memory was the Kennedy assassination.

JFK running for president. Drove by my house in a motorcade. I never saw someone with such a deep tan and super white teeth.

quote:

Originally posted by rscalzo:
Living just outside of NYC, i remember the air raid tests of the sirens.

Wow! That just triggered memories of air raid drills when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old in the early days of WW2. Living in Brooklyn NY. The sirens would sound and we were supposed to go to "blackout" condition. You were not supposed to have a light on inside the apartment unless the windows were totally covered by blackout shades, so that Luftwaffe bomber pilots would not be able to use residential lights for guidance at night.

My uncle was one of several Air Raid Wardens on the block. He had an arm band and a whistle, I seem to remember a nightstick but I might be confusing that with my older cousin who was a beat cop. The Air Raid Warden would walk up and down the street looking for light leaking out of windows and blow his whistle to get the offender's attention.

Vivid memory?

Challenger Explosion in 4th grade.

Watts Riot in Los Angeles.

I was 9 and you could see the smoke and flames from our front yard.

Elvis dying on the loo