That meme-age

[quidditchgrrl]

1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (22/11/1963)
No, but I remember my mom talking about where she was when it happened...waiting tables at Kreskey's in Cleveland.

2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (18/5/1980)
Yep! My brother and I watched it on TV. I was 4 and a half (exactly). All I remember was there was a lot of ash.

3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (28/1/1986)
I was playing checkers (we were having inside recess since it was snowy outside) with my friend Gary when another teacher came into the classroom and told our teacher what had happened. All the fourth and fifth grade classes were taken to the library where we watched the news reports until lunch. I cried. I was in the fifth grade.

4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (7/10/1989)
I remember hearing about people being trapped in a high-rise apartment complex and rescued. Earthquakes scare the living daylights out of me and I didn't sleep for a couple of nights after this. I cried. I was 13. (Then they made a darned Sunday night movie about it, and my sister and I slept in our hallway thinking that a huge earthquake would hit the Ohio Valley. Sheesh.)

5. When the Berlin Wall fell (7/11/1989)
Eighth grade - I remember my geography/history teacher predicting that the Wall would fall - and watching the wall come down on CNN. I cried.

6. When the Gulf War began (16/1/1991)
Definitely not crying here. Listened to the CNN reporters holed up in their Baghdad hotel room reporting live. Sent King George I my request to terminate my American citizenship.

7. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (17/6/1994)
Hee! Was at Grand Session for Jobs at Kent State, watching it on the TV in the dorm lounge. Totally lame. Rosie, Bannon and I went to JR Miggs for the trial verdict - the mostly (okay, all) white clientele booed at the not guilty verdict. Good times.

8. When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed (19/4/1995)
I was driving back from OU-Chillicothe after my history class - just crossing the Ross/Pickaway county line - when the radio announcer broke in and reported that a federal building in OKC had exploded. I immediately thought, "Waco," but had no idea of the destruction until I got home.

9. When Princess Di was killed (31/8/1997)
Driving on I-270 coming home after taking care of my mom. It was really late. I remember thinking, "her kids!" and being very upset wondering how they were taking the news.

10. When Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on their classmates at Columbine High School (20/4/1999)
I woke up early and saw it happen on CNN from nearly minute one. I cried the entire time. It still makes me cry to even think about it, really. Teenagers should not have to fear their classmates. They should also be free to be who they are without fear of reprisal. It's such a complicated issue. My mom and I tacitly agreed that I would have been a friend of some one like Eric or Dylan, had I been in school with them. It definitely influenced my decision to become involved with teenagers.

11. When Bush was first announced President (7/11/2000)
Kind of felt like puking, but wasn't really surprised.

12. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (28/2/2001)
Oh yeah! The one that hit Seattle. Didn't the statehouse dome collapse? Scary stuff.

13. When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (11/9/2001)
I woke up late and didn't even turn on the TV. Called a couple of places, noticed people were acting very spacey. One lady said, "oh, I just can't concentrate with all of this stuff on the TV." I turned on Fox News just as the second tower fell. First thought - "Ramzi Yousef." I was in shock, just like the rest of the world, but I think my first emotion was anger. It was also the day I had the worst migraine I've ever had.