60 Years Ago...

[mickey]

60 Years ago I was in high school.
4th period (lunch) was two hours long.
Half the school went to lunch the first hour, and had class the second hour.
The other half of the school had class the first hour and had lunch the second hour.
The lunchroom was in the main school building & when you finished lunch you went to the gym which was a separate building.
The gym had a radio tied to the PA system, the main school building did not.
I had stopped between the buildings for a cigarette when a guy came running out of the gym.
He had been sent to the office to tell them the President had been shot in Dallas, or so he told me.

I've heard that if you were around back then you will always remember where you were & what you were doing.
But I don't believe it!

[tonebender]

Well, I was around but I was only 5 years old and a year away from school. My only memory is not the moment of notice but I remember the adults being upset.

[mickey]

Well, I was around but I was only 5 years old and a year away from school. My only memory is not the moment of notice but I remember the adults being upset.

OK, I assume you were around and remember where you were when the pilot of Space Shuttle said "Roger, go with throttle up."

OR

Where you were when you saw a plane fly into the World Trade Center.





















o

[mozz]

I remember the moon landings, i was in first or second grade. I think i was watching them at home, maybe they sent us home early or it was after school at 330pm when it happened?

[bc rich]

60 Years ago I was in high school.
4th period (lunch) was two hours long.
Half the school went to lunch the first hour, and had class the second hour.
The other half of the school had class the first hour and had lunch the second hour.
The lunchroom was in the main school building & when you finished lunch you went to the gym which was a separate building.
The gym had a radio tied to the PA system, the main school building did not.
I had stopped between the buildings for a cigarette when a guy came running out of the gym.
He had been sent to the office to tell them the President had been shot in Dallas, or so he told me.

I've heard that if you were around back then you will always remember where you were & what you were doing.
But I don't believe it!

Our President Kennedy was not just shot in Dallas, he was gunned down / assassinated in in cold blood, was it a lone terroist or a coup ?
A lots of facts are now freely available . That said it was a terrible day for America and indeed everyone, a very dark fork in the road.

That was a bit before my time , But i do remember the Sputnik 1 orbit because it was the biggest headline i had ever seen in our newspaper, if it was on page two it would have gone right over my head

[mickey]

Our President Kennedy was not just shot in Dallas, he was gunned down / assassinated in in cold blood, was it a lone terroist or a coup ?
A lots of facts are now freely available . That said it was a terrible day for America and indeed everyone, a very dark fork in the road.

That was a bit before my time , But i do remember the Sputnik 1 orbit because it was the biggest headline i had ever seen in our newspaper, if it was on page two it would have gone right over my head

If you would please explain how it is that you are a bit too young to remember something that happened in 1963 (Kennedy being shot)

But can remember something that happened in 1957 (Sputnik 1 being launched.)

I'm having a difficult time understanding.

[Tonray's Ghost]

5 Years old, helping my dad pick up leaves in the front yard. High strung lady from across the street came running from her porch screaming to everyone on the street "They killed Jack Kennedy...they killed Jack Kennedy". I've always hated raking leaves since then.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Well, I was around but I was only 5 years old and a year away from school. My only memory is not the moment of notice but I remember the adults being upset.

OK, I assume you were around and remember where you were when the pilot of Space Shuttle said "Roger, go with throttle up."

OR

Where you were when you saw a plane fly into the World Trade Center.





















o

Space Shuttle: Working as a tax accountant for Deloitte Haskins and Sells (my first real office job), Senior Partner's admin assistant Sue Sullivan came down the hallway telling everyone "The shuttle blew up, they're all dead for sure"

WTC: My Mom (81 years old at the time) had called me the night before saying she felt unwell, she had been acting a bit loopy so I had stayed over at her house the night before (Sept 10th, 2001) to make sure she was OK. Sitting at the kitchen table the next mornig the WTC events unfolded in the little B&W TV she kept on the buffet across from the table. I remember being so worried about Mom that it really didn't register fully. This was likely my Mom having a small stroke which kicked off the next 13 years of dementia care for me. WTC events fully impacted me a few days later.

[PoodlesAgain]

Kennedy's death: Wee lad in France, son of a village schoolteacher, it was my assignment to put up flags on the school building facade on national holidays.
President De Gaulle declared a national day of mourning for Kennedy's death, so I went up the attic to install the French flag fitted with a supplied black band.

I did not know the full meaning of what happened, but felt that it was very important, and still remember the feeling I had then.

[tonebender]

Well, I was around but I was only 5 years old and a year away from school. My only memory is not the moment of notice but I remember the adults being upset.

OK, I assume you were around and remember where you were when the pilot of Space Shuttle said "Roger, go with throttle up."

OR

Where you were when you saw a plane fly into the World Trade Center.



Oh, I definitely have distinct memories of those events. I was working at the asphalt plant and was in the lab listening to the radio when the Challenger launched. There were 3-4 o us there but I was the only one that walked outside to watch it as you can see it from this side of Florida. I had seen them go up before and I knew something went wrong based on the exhaust pattern. I ran back inside, announced to everyone that something was wrong and I turned the radio up. We all know what happened.

When the towers were hit I was in a continuous education cert class in Orlando. The class was at a hotel. When the first tower was hit people in the class started getting pages. The instructor called for a break and we went across the hall to the bar where the TV was on and we all stood there a watched the second tower get hit.



















o

[toomanycats]

I was just an itch in my Daddy's pants in November of 63, so I can't recollect anything about JFK's assassination. However, I do have a clear recollection of where I was when . . .

Elvis died in 77
John Lennon was killed
Reagan was shot
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
Stevie Ray Vaughn was killed in helicopter crash
The World Trade Center was bombed in 93
The Rodney King riots happened
O.J. Simpsons Bronco chase was televised live
The towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001
"Shock and Awe" in March of 2003 occurred
Bush proclaimed "Mission accomplished" in May of 2003

I pretty much stopped watching television after this.

So, anything interesting happen since then?

[mickey]

I was just an itch in my Daddy's pants in November of 63, so I can't recollect anything about JFK's assassination. However, I do have a clear recollection of where I was when . . .

Elvis died in 77
John Lennon was killed
Reagan was shot
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
Stevie Ray Vaughn was killed in helicopter crash
The World Trade Center was bombed in 93
The Rodney King riots happened
O.J. Simpsons Bronco chase was televised live
The towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001
"Shock and Awe" in March of 2003 occurred
Bush proclaimed "Mission accomplished" in May of 2003

I pretty much stopped watching television after this.

So, anything interesting happen since then?

Er, uh, I believe I missed most of those.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I was just an itch in my Daddy's pants in November of 63, so I can't recollect anything about JFK's assassination. However, I do have a clear recollection of where I was when . . .

Elvis died in 77
John Lennon was killed
Reagan was shot
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
Stevie Ray Vaughn was killed in helicopter crash
The World Trade Center was bombed in 93
The Rodney King riots happened
O.J. Simpsons Bronco chase was televised live
The towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001
"Shock and Awe" in March of 2003 occurred
Bush proclaimed "Mission accomplished" in May of 2003

I pretty much stopped watching television after this.

So, anything interesting happen since then?

You forgot 'The Day Al Gore invented the Internet"

[PoodlesAgain]

I was repainting our bedroom when the OJ trial went on. I know exactly where I was in my work when I heard the verdict. Right under the left-hand window sill, a difficult spot to reach without messing up the white trim...!

[toomanycats]

I was just an itch in my Daddy's pants in November of 63, so I can't recollect anything about JFK's assassination. However, I do have a clear recollection of where I was when . . .

Elvis died in 77
John Lennon was killed
Reagan was shot
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
Stevie Ray Vaughn was killed in helicopter crash
The World Trade Center was bombed in 93
The Rodney King riots happened
O.J. Simpsons Bronco chase was televised live
The towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001
"Shock and Awe" in March of 2003 occurred
Bush proclaimed "Mission accomplished" in May of 2003

I pretty much stopped watching television after this.

So, anything interesting happen since then?

You forgot 'The Day Al Gore invented the Internet"

I believe there's some people who worked at the Xerox Research Center in Palo Alto California in 1972 who would contest that.

[tlarson58]

I've always wanted to ask my parents about this and other huge events but just never seem to remember to ask them.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I was just an itch in my Daddy's pants in November of 63, so I can't recollect anything about JFK's assassination. However, I do have a clear recollection of where I was when . . .

Elvis died in 77
John Lennon was killed
Reagan was shot
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
Stevie Ray Vaughn was killed in helicopter crash
The World Trade Center was bombed in 93
The Rodney King riots happened
O.J. Simpsons Bronco chase was televised live
The towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001
"Shock and Awe" in March of 2003 occurred
Bush proclaimed "Mission accomplished" in May of 2003

I pretty much stopped watching television after this.

So, anything interesting happen since then?

You forgot 'The Day Al Gore invented the Internet"

I believe there's some people who worked at the Xerox Research Center in Palo Alto California in 1972 who would contest that.

I should have stated it more succinctly: the day Al Gore 'claimed' he invented the Internet

[andrewsrea]

I was 13 months old, so no recollection.

Like @mozz, I recall the moon landing when I was 7. We were on summer vacation in a very small bungalow in North Ocean City, MD. My grandparents and uncle (who was only four years older than I) were in the beach front apartments a half a block from us and my neighbors from home drove down and brought a TV to watch it with us. My dad who was a satellite engineer at the time, was very excited. Probably the only thing that could keep him from the beach and a cold Budweiser. It was grey and lightly raining outside and we were all huddled around the black and white portable (vacuum tube) TV in that 800 sq. ft. or son, two-bedroom bungalow. Good times indeed.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I'm not sure whether I was done with diapers when (JF) Kennedy was shot, but I don't recall it. The only recollection I have from that long ago was learning to walk, and I'm shocked that was a big enough deal to stay in focus. But I'll concur the moon walk was probably the coolest thing I ever saw on a black and white TV in the living room of 11519 Islandale Drive in Forest Park (Cincinnati) Ohio. Fantastically etched memory.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I'll just add these two:

RFK Assassination: My father who rose at 5 AM to get ready for work at his Post Office Job, rousted us out of bed as soon as he heard the news as he had a habit of watching a bit of TV during his early breakfast. He told us "this is history" as we whined and moaned about it being 5 AM.

Moon Landing: We watched it of course as an 11 year old I was wildly interested in space and rockets. When we cleared out my Mom's basement to prepare her house for sale, we found my dad had saved all the daily newspaper headlines from the Moon Landing of Appollo 11 in not so well sealed plastic bags. They were yellowed and crumbled after being in that dank basement for 30+ years but brought back memories for sure. My Italian maternal grandmother (69 at the time) who was very old country and superstitious, refused to believe any of it, claiming it was a trick by the government. She may have been the first conspiracy theorist...ha ha ha