What was your earliest national/international memory?

kath said:
Omg, did we go to the same elementary school?
I also remember exactly this when I was six. Whoever chose the photos for the three candidates chose a simply awful one for Reagan —looking like a shriveled raisin— such that none of us kids voted for him.
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We did the same thing in 84. We *may* have done it in 80. But I don't remember. Our class results in 84 were the same as the national election - only 1 kid voted for Mondale.
 
Deelee said:
Earliest memories of such events are from around '79, '80, '81

Namely the presidential election in '80. My elementary school ran a contest where students could 'vote' for who they thought should/would win. If we picked the right one, we would get a coupon for a free McDonald's cheeseburger. I picked.... incorrectly. Regan won by a landslide and I didn't get a cheeseburger. (note - this is not turning this into a political post.... my 'vote' as a six year old in no way represents how I may have or have not voted as an eligible voter)

Remember the first shuttle launch vividly. Also the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Kept asking my parents if there were any volcanoes that were going to erupt and kill us all (answer - no, there are no volcanoes near Pottstown, PA that we know of).

Also remember very clearly watching the mini-series The Day After. I asked my parents if I could watch it. They said no way. I begged and pleaded. They caved and let me watch it. Nightmares for years after that about getting irradiated in a thermo-nuclear war. Thanks a lot mom and dad.

Much later, we happened to have a snow-day on January 28, 1986. Home from school at a friend's house, we were watching live when the Challenger exploded after launch. I can still remember thinking this can't be real. Similar to the feeling I had on 9/11 working in DC at the IMF when my colleague (who had a window office looking toward the Pentagon) came in to my (interior, no window) office to let me know there was a huge amount of smoke coming from across the river. That whole day is imprinted in my memory banks and it would take too much time to type it all out here.
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Wow, thought I wrote this. I was born in '73, lived in Douglassville until 1980, when we moved to VA. My earliest memory of anything was going to park to see the 1976 bicentennial fireworks. I don't actually remember the fireworks because I'm sure I fell asleep long before they started, but I remember my parents camping out for a spot on the hill.

My first world event memory was the fall of the shah of Iran. We were sitting in an Arthur Treachers in Pottstown when the news came on the TV. I don't really remember the 1980 election, but certainly remember the assignation attempt on the Pope, the first shuttle launch in 1981 (or at least the landing, I was home sick from school). I remembered the Mt St Helen's eruption, and even got a sample of ash my dad brought home from a business trip to Washington State.

I remember being home from school on January snow days for the Air Florida Flt 90 crash into the Potomac and the 1986 challenger explosion...both winter weather related.

I was freaked out by the series "The day after" too. Even though I was 10 when it aired, I still vividly remember the scene of people getting vaporized by the blast. I always thought we'd be the last generation to be born in fear of nuclear war, but I guess not.
 
Mine was 9-11. I was 3 at the time and happened to wander up to my mom when she was watching a video of the towers coming down on the computer. I had no idea what was happening, but I knew it was something really bad because my mom was so worried and upset about it.
 
I vaguely remember 9/11. I was just days away from turning five, so my recollection of it is pretty nonexistent. My earliest national memory that I can recall is Ronald Reagan’s funeral being broadcast on television.

Yes, I’ll get off y’all’s lawn now…
 
Brad Z said:
Wow, thought I wrote this. I was born in '73, lived in Douglassville until 1980, when we moved to VA. My earliest memory of anything was going to park to see the 1976 bicentennial fireworks. I don't actually remember the fireworks because I'm sure I fell asleep long before they started, but I remember my parents camping out for a spot on the hill.

My first world event memory was the fall of the shah of Iran. We were sitting in an Arthur Treachers in Pottstown when the news came on the TV. I don't really remember the 1980 election, but certainly remember the assignation attempt on the Pope, the first shuttle launch in 1981 (or at least the landing, I was home sick from school). I remembered the Mt St Helen's eruption, and even got a sample of ash my dad brought home from a business trip to Washington State.

I remember being home from school on January snow days for the Air Florida Flt 90 crash into the Potomac and the 1986 challenger explosion...both winter weather related.

I was freaked out by the series "The day after" too. Even though I was 10 when it aired, I still vividly remember the scene of people getting vaporized by the blast. I always thought we'd be the last generation to be born in fear of nuclear war, but I guess not.
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Uh... are you me? Am I you??? I was born in Pottstown(e). Lived in Bechtelsville. And I have absolutely eaten in that Arthur Treacher's. My father currently lives in Douglassville. We used to watch the 4th fireworks in that park in Pottstown from the parking lot of.... oh man I think it was a hardware store... Boyer's maybe? Everything is named Boyer something or other up there. There was a Chinese food restaurant there which, at age 4 or 5, seemed so exotic. I fly up to N47 every once in a while to see my pop when I don't feel like driving. Things have changed, yet still are the same somehow in that area. Remember that massive farmer's market/flea market? Zerns? Some of my earliest memories are of that place, actually. The smell of BO, cigar/cigarettes smoke, animals, PA dutch cooking, donuts frying, (sawdust maybe?) all combined. I can smell it like I was there.

Anyway. Small world. We moved here (northern VA) in '84.
 
I remember my parents being really shook up when President Kennedy died. We watched the funeral on TV several times and I inquired why they kept digging him up.
 
JOhnH said:
Ok, you win. I was 1 yr old when Ike was elected and I cannot truthfully say I remember anything about that campaign.
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There was a campaign? I just thought the buttons were cool. '48 vintage here...

Jim
 
I would have been... three years old at the time. I remember the trolley cars in San Francisco, and parts of the flight on a military transport to Guam. I got taken up to the cockpit and waved to the pilots. Everything was blacked out, and there were windows by their feet. I remembered a lot about Guam too. Like the huge "M" in front of the only McDonald's on the island.
 
President Eisenhower giving an important speech on TV.

Possibly the "Military Industrial Complex" speech...
 
RyanB said:
Yes, I’ll get off y’all’s lawn now…
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Yep. Bunch of old dudes in here. I feel like RDJ in Air America when he says that line about "he used to be the weirdest person in the room, but here he doesn't even qualify." Except replace "weird" with "old."

I think I'll go outside and run a marathon or get another cup of coffee.
 
Rich Holt said:
Yep. Bunch of old dudes in here. I feel like RDJ in Air America when he says that line about "he used to be the weirdest person in the room, but here he doesn't even qualify." Except replace "weird" with "old."

I think I'll go outside and run a marathon or get another cup of coffee.
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The worst thing about old age is the way it sneaks up on you.
 
Brad Z said:
certainly remember the assignation attempt on the Pope
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That typo gave me a giggle! I envision Mae West slithering up, "Why don't you come up and see me some time, your holiness?"

(Assignation: an appointment to meet someone in secret, typically one made by lovers. "his assignation with an older woman")

My first world event (!) was the opening of Disneyland! They were pitching hard on the Disney TV show, and my Dad said he'd take us. And two years later, he did! Tickets cost $2 each...

Paul
 
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I guess I shouldn't be, but I'm surprised by the breadth of the age distribution on here. I guess we're not all old farts after all!
 
The 1972 Presidential Election. Our town’s polling place was in the gym on the bottom floor of my elementary school. My second grade classmates and I were conducting a highly scientific survey by counting bumper stickers on the cars pulling into the parking lot. We were convinced that George McGovern had won. :)
 
PaulMillner said:
That typo gave me a giggle! I envision Mae West slithering up, "Why don't you come up and see me some time, your holiness?"

(Assignation: an appointment to meet someone in secret, typically one made by lovers. "his assignation with an older woman")

My first world event (!) was the opening of Disneyland! They were pitching hard on the Disney TV show, and my Dad said he'd take us. And two years later, he did! Tickets cost $2 each...

Paul
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Lol, didn't even catch that. I have a sort of "Jesus take the wheel" approach to spell check and didn't even notice I stumbled upon a new salacious vocabulary word.
 
EdFred said:
Oh, man I loved that place.

Still one in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Might have to take a trip.
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I think there may be a few around--the closest to me is in a mall in NJ. Bus alas, time has passed, I've gotten older and my taste buds are more discerning, cod's been fished out of existence, and I suspect that any current incarnation of Arthur Treachers is going to be disappointing in comparison to my memories of my early childhood.
 
Brad Z said:
I think there may be a few around--the closest to me is in a mall in NJ. Bus alas, time has passed, I've gotten older and my taste buds are more discerning, cod's been fished out of existence, and I suspect that any current incarnation of Arthur Treachers is going to be disappointing in comparison to my memories of my early childhood.
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Probably the case. I also miss Burger Chef.
 
Deelee said:
Uh... are you me? Am I you??? I was born in Pottstown(e). Lived in Bechtelsville. And I have absolutely eaten in that Arthur Treacher's. My father currently lives in Douglassville. We used to watch the 4th fireworks in that park in Pottstown from the parking lot of.... oh man I think it was a hardware store... Boyer's maybe? Everything is named Boyer something or other up there. There was a Chinese food restaurant there which, at age 4 or 5, seemed so exotic. I fly up to N47 every once in a while to see my pop when I don't feel like driving. Things have changed, yet still are the same somehow in that area. Remember that massive farmer's market/flea market? Zerns? Some of my earliest memories are of that place, actually. The smell of BO, cigar/cigarettes smoke, animals, PA dutch cooking, donuts frying, (sawdust maybe?) all combined. I can smell it like I was there.

Anyway. Small world. We moved here (northern VA) in '84.
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Dude... I remember Zerns! In Boyertown, right? I got lost there as a toddler. Apparently my parents nearly lost it when I pulled away from them and got lost in the crowd. They still love to recount the story of hearing "we have a little lost boy" over the loudspeaker at that place. My favorite shopping was at the mall in the model train section of Boscos.

Speaking of Malls, honestly I think the most frightening thing of my earliest childhood was touring the "Jail on Wheels", complete with a imitation gas chamber and electric chair, at the Norco Mall. To make matters worse, I walked out of the bookstore with a book I really wanted but my parents refused to buy. Upon my dad noticing that I walked out with it, he immediately returned the item to the store while my older sister had me in tears convinced that they were going to strap me to the electric chair. I guess you could say I was scared straight, lol.

Aside from that, a pretty typical PA childhood, hanging out at bowling alleys and gun clubs and summer weekends at the jersey shore. And the smell of scrapple...
 
JOhnH said:
The worst thing about old age is the way it sneaks up on you.
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nah. The worst part is after sneaking up on you, old age then unmercifully beats you about the head and shoulders
 
GaryM said:
We have a lot of young people responding to this thread.

My earliest memory of a 'big' event was the Kennedy assassination.

I was five, and while I was aware at the time that something big and bad had happened, I was also annoyed that the TV coverage was pre-empting all of the cartoons.
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Exactly this! I remember my parents watching what seemed to be endless coverage.
 
MauleSkinner said:
I remember being bored silly by that. Apparently not appreciated by a 3-year-old.
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I was 7 and had camped out in the living room with the TV on and my dad's old Zenith "trans-oceanic" radio counting down the landing and subsequent walk. Wish I could remember more but my mom said I was pretty stoked about the whole affair.
 
Brad Z said:
Dude... I remember Zerns! In Boyertown, right? I got lost there as a toddler. Apparently my parents nearly lost it when I pulled away from them and got lost in the crowd. They still love to recount the story of hearing "we have a little lost boy" over the loudspeaker at that place. My favorite shopping was at the mall in the model train section of Boscos.

Speaking of Malls, honestly I think the most frightening thing of my earliest childhood was touring the "Jail on Wheels", complete with a imitation gas chamber and electric chair, at the Norco Mall. To make matters worse, I walked out of the bookstore with a book I really wanted but my parents refused to buy. Upon my dad noticing that I walked out with it, he immediately returned the item to the store while my older sister had me in tears convinced that they were going to strap me to the electric chair. I guess you could say I was scared straight, lol.

Aside from that, a pretty typical PA childhood, hanging out at bowling alleys and gun clubs and summer weekends at the jersey shore. And the smell of scrapple...
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Yep! Zerns in Boyertown! Impossible to really describe and you sort of have to go there to experience it. Boscovs. The Norco mall (with the arcade in the corner.. Games People Play it was called... first time I played space invaders/centipede/missile command/so many other classics). Don't remember the Jail on Wheels :D . Yep bowling. Rod and gun club (Pikeville was the one we went to??), Jersey shore - usually Avalon then convincing our parents to take us to Wildwood to the boardwalk.... Mini bikes. Shooting bb guns and .22s (my mom never found out without permission or supervision)... Dang. So many good times. Wonder if Zern's is still there. It was as of five years ago....
 
Deelee said:
Earliest memories of such events are from around '79, '80, '81

Namely the presidential election in '80. My elementary school ran a contest where students could 'vote' for who they thought should/would win. If we picked the right one, we would get a coupon for a free McDonald's cheeseburger. I picked.... incorrectly. Regan won by a landslide and I didn't get a cheeseburger. (note - this is not turning this into a political post.... my 'vote' as a six year old in no way represents how I may have or have not voted as an eligible voter)

Remember the first shuttle launch vividly. Also the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Kept asking my parents if there were any volcanoes that were going to erupt and kill us all (answer - no, there are no volcanoes near Pottstown, PA that we know of).
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Very similar for me.

Born in '73. First big newsworthy stuff I remember was the 1980 election followed by Reagan shooting, then Space Shuttle Columbia launch and Falklands War.
 
Probably the first moon landing. We were at my maternal grandparents' house. That was the same year they got an indoor toilet. Before then it was just the outhouse. Grandfather thought the moon landing was fake and never rode in a plane. Grandmother, born in 1897, went up with my dad and later did her first commercial flight to my wedding in 1984.
 
McArthur landing at Inchon. Don’t remember VE or VJ Day but I was around then.

Cheers.
 
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