Earliest Big Event You Remember

[Harvey]

Saw this on fb, thought it was a cool idea for a thread.

What's the earliest big event you remember? Something that everyone would know (like man landing on the moon), something that made a big enough impression on you as a child that you still remember it.

Some of these events might be political, that's ok, just refrain from political commentary/opinion.

For me it was the death of MLK. I was 5, I didn't really understand it, but my mom took me to march in downtown Troy. It wasn't until much later that my mom retold me the story and I connected the dots.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

I remember my mother heard about the polio vaccine on the radio and ran out to tell all the other mothers about it. It was a different time on a lot of levels. 1953?
Also 1954 World Series.
mm

 

[Brownski]

I can’t remember either of those things because they both happened before I was born. The earliest public event I remember is the Bicentennial and ‘76 election. The earliest single big national event I remember is probably the hockey game against the Russians in the 1980 Olympics but I remember being aware of the Iran hostage crisis, which was earlier but doesn’t really register as an “event” in my memory.

 

[MarzNC]

Probably the assassination of President Kennedy. My family had only recently gotten a TV because I had a Hunter College Elementary School assignment that required watching some show. My father mostly just used it to watch news. I have pretty clear memories of the horse with no rider.

 

[Green light]

JFK also. Came home from second grade and watched it on TV. I remember having a moment of silence in the classroom.

 

[Campgottagopee]

The first one I can remember would be the Apollo 13 accident. I remember watching about it on TV with my parents. It was on one of the 3 channels we got.

The one that I will never forget is 9/11. Watching that unfold while at work was so surreal.

 

[ScottySkis]

Definitely 9/11
Worse day ever

 

[Warp daddy]

Ok i am a fossil so at 77 i remember all those things you guys have mentioned all big events .

BUT the FIRST big event i remember as a child was OUR FIRST TV set .... Why u ask ??? It is strange no doubt

Well i was bedridden for a year 1947 as a young child with Rheumatic Fever it kept me out of action for a year . TV. Was just really being introduced and my parents bought the first TV in our New Hartford ,NY neighborhood. Why , so all my friends could pile in to see me and watch Howdy Doody which was the first show of the day on TV .......AT 5 O clock in the afternoon?!

Tv in those days only had programming from 5 pm till 11pm , hell we used to get EXCITED just watching Test patterns on it before programming started ?????. No one had ever seen tv beforehand.

My music career began then too , my dad bought a Xylophone . WHY ?? because it fit OVER the bed so i could get exercise !! i learned how to play that thing using 4 mallets simultaneously . It WAS MY PT .

The first big PUBLIC event i recall was the US entering The Korean War it was a real shock after WW2 have ended not that long ago .

 

[Warp daddy]

I remember my mother heard about the polio vaccine on the radio and ran out to tell all the other mothers about it. It was a different time on a lot of levels. 1953?
Also 1954 World Series.
mm

Ah the 1954 world series ! my NY GIANTS with Willie Mays swept the Cleaveland Indians in 4 games . The Indians had set an ML record with 111 wins , had Four 20 game winners and the AL batting champ. BUT THEY DIDN' T HAVE " DUSTY RHODES !!!!

Who in hell is Dusty Rhodes you say ?? well old Dusty was a certifiable whackjob !! A journeyman outfielder , COULD NOT catch a fly ball to save his ass, horrible fielder and a wildman who would often drink and party till the wee hrs BEFORE that was a thing . So u got the drill !!

OLD Dusty was strictly a Pinch Hitter , but that goog ole boy parked two of the most famous " Chineese***** Home runs in history to sink the Indians and totally demoralize them

****By way of explanation that term is not a slur at all, that is what they were called BECAUSE the POLO GROUNDS where the Giants play was the weirdest ball park . A SHORT park in certain spots Only 257 down the right field line and 258 in left but from that foul line it ballooned out very quickly to 483 in center ....u see it was a Ushaped ballpark .

Well ole Dusty WAS a notorious " pull hitter" and he was deadly !! He quickly faded into obscurity BUT is immortalized for his heroics in extra inning games in THAT World Series

Told ya i am older than dirt ?

 

[Warp daddy]

James Lamarr " Dusty " Rhodes HISSELF ? A good ole Southern Boy