What were you doing ?

[khertz]

I wasn't born for the first two and only a year old for the third, but I definitely remember September 11th. I was a junior in high school and sitting in Algebra II and when the bell rang and the next class was coming in, a girl told everyone that a plane had just flown into the WTC. The rest of the morning, every teacher had it on in the classroom and it felt like the day just kind of stopped. At lunch the administration made everyone turn off the TVs in the classrooms to try and get back to "normal" but it was a weird vibe the rest of the day because no one could really think about anything else. I didn't get more information until the end of the school day. I remember first seeing my mom after school and the first thing she asked me was, "How much do you know about what happened today?" Such an awful awful day. I still get sick thinking of what people in and around NYC went through that day.

 

[texasthumper]

JFK-I was in third grade in Huntsville, TX. Our teacher told us the news and then our parents came to pick us up. My parents were huge JFK fans and we thought he was so handsome and smart--it was just unbelievable. My mother held her composure for us but I know she was especially horrified because she grew up in Dallas and was embarrassed for her hometown. We watched the funeral coverage on our little tv and I remember John-John and his salute. So sad.

MLK-7th grade, Austin. I had spent the night with my best friend and my mother came to pick me up. We hadn't been watching tv so didn't know what was going on. I really didn't know who MLK was but I sure did after all the tv/newspaper/magazine coverage.

Apollo 11-Austin, going into 9th grade. We were so excited about this, and I had gotten a paper punch-out model of the lunar module from a gas station (!) and had put it together. My whole family was watching it in the TV room and a storm came up and blew out the cable service. Yes, they had cable back then and yes, you really needed it in Austin to get any reception. We were furious!!!

Challenger-Huntsville, I was in my office working at the University when a graduate student who was a friend came in and told me the news. I had a little transistor radio and we listened to news coverage together. I didn't get to see the video until I went home for lunch. I remember they made a song tribute which the radio station played endlessly. I think it was Ronald Regan's tribute speech set to music.

9/11-Huntsville, working in a different office. One of the professors came in and told me that a plane had hit the WTC...he commuted from Houston and heard it on his car radio. I remember talking to my mother about it...she was at her home watching every minute of the coverage on tv. We turned on the office radio to listen and I saw what I could on the Internet. College classes continued to be held that day although everyone was distracted and sad. I stopped to buy gas on the way home and every person in the little store had these stricken looks on their faces and everyone was being particularly kind and courteous. I bought the "special edition" of the Houston Chronicle for fifty cents. My mother accidentally recycled it that next week but I was able to purchase a copy which I still have, along with other magazines and papers regarding the tragedy.

Some other people mentioned the Reagan shooting too...I was at work (of course!) and we really believed that he would die. We couldn't believe it was JFK all over again and it was so distressing at the time.

Elvis-hubby & I had just bought a house in Houston and my boss was moving away and selling his washer & dryer. We were in Houston traffic on the way to look at them when they came on KILT and said Elvis was dead. I was much more of a Beatles fan but we were sad since we enjoyed Elvis' music too. John's death in 1980 was of course worse to me, I was pregnant and watching tv in the bedroom because hubby was watching football in the living room. I could hardly sleep that night for crying.

One more...Chuck/Di's wedding...my baby was overdue and I couldn't sleep so I got up and watched the whole thing. I'm so glad now that I did...it was unforgettable.

Thanks everyone for sharing your memories!!

 

[bjscheel]

Challenger- in 4th grade, taking Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. I was done early, so my teacher told me first...later in the day they sat us out in the hallway to watch it on TV. The schools had taken so much interest in this particular one due to the teacher.

9/11- like a couple other folks here, I was home with a toddler and a new baby- one almost 3 and the other two weeks old. Our day started with PBS Kids as usual. When DD wandered away from the tv, I turned it to the news, which I didn't usually do. After a while, I was thankful for PBS which was the only channel of ours (no cable) that kept its regular programming. It was a nice break. I remember what a beautiful day it was outside and how strange it was to not see any planes. Finally, I remember when I heard the first plane overhead after they started flying again. I was feeding the baby in the middle of the night- it was a little scary to hear a plane again.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Nov 22, 1963 JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy ?


I was not born yet


April 4, 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.


I was not even one yet


July 20, 1969 Apollo 11,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

I was two

January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster


I was at work, but watched the news when i got home


Tuesday, September 11, 2001, September 11 attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks


I worked nights, so i was sleeping when it happened.

.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Nov 22, 1963 JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy ?


I was 4 dont have any memory


April 4, 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

I was 9 and didnt know who he was but watched on tv with my mom , all she told me was "he was a negro who tried to get different colors to like each other"


July 20, 1969 Apollo 11,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

watching it on tv in my parents room (they had he color tv) we all cheered

January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

I was at work, being punished for something, and I had to clean out a bunch of dirty stoves from a project and had the radio on and heard the news (Akrons own Judy Resnik died )


Tuesday, September 11, 2001, September 11 attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks



just dropped my daughter off at grade school on way to work and ehard a small plane ran into one of the towers, and as soon as i walked into work the other plane hit

My parents were 7 when JFK was shot, so I certainly have no memories. My mother, however, was home from school with the mumps.


I wasn't born yet for MLK's assassination or for Apolo 11.

I has just turned 2 when the Challenger exploded, so no memories. I do, however, remember my grandmother talking about what a tragedy it was to lose the teacher and how she didn't support non-astronauts going into space.

September 11, 2001 - I was a senior in high school and was Student Body President. We were having a Student Council meeting about homecoming and planning our homecoming parade when our sponsor came in, tears streaming down her face, and told us that The World Trade Center had just been hit with a plane and we didn't know what was going on. The rest of the day was spent in front of the televisions watching the news. I will never forget sitting in the library and seeing that second plane hit the second tower.

 

[JVL1018]

I wasn't alive for the first 3 events..

The Challenger, I was home sick from school, I think I was in 8th grade? Anyway, I was laying in my parents bed watching TV when it happened and at first I was like OMG! Then after a while I was like seriously, all day with the news? I'm not going to get to watch Days of Our Lives? Waste of a sick day.
Yes, I am embarrassed about myself all these years later. @@

9/11, I had had my son on 9/5 and he had a ped. appt at 10am. My husband was going to meet us there, he had an early morning college class and was stopping at the ped on his way to work. He called me and told me to turn on the TV.

I was all frazzled trying to get the baby and our not quite 2 year old daughter dressed and ready to go. I turned on the TV and there was no signal(we live in NJ a few miles from NYC) and I said the cable's out..
He said Howard Stern just said a plane hit one of the twin towers.

I said wow, tried another channel, saw a minute or two. I remember saying to my husband what idiot can't see the twin towers and flies right into it?? I was thinking it was a small private plane.

Baby started fussing, I was stressing about being late and I hung up and drove to Paramus, to the doctor. Listened to the radio on the way, had the worlds fastest and most somber weight check visit..as we left, my husband and I had parked facing each other, we got in, turned on the cars, radios on and they reported the tower had fell. I remember looking at each other through the windshield and saying Holy S---...
He drove to his office on Rt 4 in Paramus, taking the big flyover ramp from Rt 17 and he could see the smoke from across the river in Manhattan.

I drove home the back way and cried the entire time. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, beautiful blue skies, gorgeous, it was so bizarre that this was happening just miles away.

My husband came home around 1 I guess, they sent everyone home, and went to the firehouse(he's an accountant, but also a FF) to see if he could go to the city, but they had already left. I remember telling him that I would kill him twice if he went over there and got killed and left me with a brand new baby and a 22 month old.

My younger brother was with his fire company on Rt 4 waiting to go over the George Washington Bridge and I called him and told him to get off the fire truck and start walking back towards my house and I would pick him up. He was like are you insane??
Hey, I was hormonal, I had just given birth 6 days prior..
As it turned out, neither of the fire companies ended up being called over, they returned to quarters.
It was very very very frightening living here, hearing the fighter jets, but no other air traffic..I was ready to pack up and head to Iowa.

 

[ols386]

November 22, 1963. I was home sick, from school that day.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

The first one I was alive for was the Challenger explosion. I was 5 and vaguely remember it but I didn't really know what was going on at the time

September 11th - I was on my way to college (Drew Univ in Madison NJ) at the time and I remember something seemed strange, traffic just wasn't right or something. I didn't know what happened until I go to the school and I was walking to class. A few people I know walked out of their class and told me what was going on, we walked into their classroom (which was held in a lounge, small college, very small classes) and watched it on TV. I went on to my class and people were debating whether classes should be cancelled or not. Tom Kean was the college President at the time and called us all into a meeting in the gym. I remember crying and I had no idea why, I didn't know anyone directly affected, I think it was just being in the moment. We were close enough we could see smoke and debris in the sky

I was alive when Reagan was shot but I was only a few months old so no memories of that.

I was a senior in high school when Columbine happened, that changed our senior year

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Kennedy Assasination - Parents in high school

MLK Assasination - Parents in college, but have not met

Moon Landing - Parents still in college, dating

Challenger Explosion - In Elementary school, didn't hear about it until I got home for the day

911 - At work in a lab on the same college campus my parents used to attend

 

[jetskigrl]

Nov 22, 1963 JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy ?


Not born yet


April 4, 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.


I was too young to know what was going on


July 20, 1969 Apollo 11,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

I'm sure I watched it with my parents...but still too young to know what was happening.

January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster


I was at home because I had injured my arm ice skating and I was waiting for a ride to the doctor's office. We watched footage of it over and over again in the waiting room.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, September 11 attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks


I was at my sister's house in No. California. My DH and I were attempting our first mini-vacation alone since our DD was born. My sister woke me up when the first plane hit but we didn't realize what was going on so we went back to sleep. She came back in after the second plane hit and then we got up. We watched the towers fall on TV and after hearing about the other planes, knew we had to cut our trip short and head home. It was a long drive back to So. Cal (luckily we had driven so we had our car with us) and it was a very eerie quiet as we passed LAX and there were no planes coming or going.....

 

[jetskigrl]

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, September 11 attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks



Evacuating from the 70th floor of Tower 2. I owe my life to Rick Rescorla. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rescorla

WOW...just WOW!

 

[FergieTCat]

I was 2 in 1963 and 7 in 1968. I vaguely remember the moonlanding in 1969 because my mother made me get out of bed and watch it happening on TV. I think I might still have the newspaper that she saved for me. Coincidentally, my maternal grandmother passed away on July 20, 1989, and I remember seeing the moonlanding being rebroadcast in Grand Central Station.

As for the Challenger, I remember my boss yelling from his office and we all ran in to see what happened. Absolutely gut wrenching.

I live in Queens and work in New York City so I could write volumes about September 11th. It's etched so clear in my memory that it could have happened yesterday. Whenever I see a brilliant blue sky I think of that Tuesday. Crayola should name a color 9/11 Blue.

 

[spacemountainmom]

I must be close in age to Janepod. WOW! You have an amazing story. I cannot imagine having lived through that and Rick Rescorla was a truly heroic man.

JFK - Parents had not even met yet.

MLK - I was in utero

Moonwalk - I was just over a year old.

Challenger - I was a senior in HS and heading to lunch. The media center staff started rolling tv's into the cafeteria and we watched the whole thing during lunch.

9/11 - I was a SAHM waiting to put my oldest on the bus. We were watching Nickelodeon and my sister called me from work and told me what happened. I turned on the news and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

 

[LBIJim]

This thread reminds me:

I remember once when I was a little girl - it was probably around 1973-1975 and if I remember correctly, it was fairly warm outside (in Michigan)- I came home from school and my mom said "Try to remember this day when you're older." I'm sure she said more, though I don't know what now. I think she was watching the news.

Can't figure out what it was, though. Why I was supposed to remember that day.

Well, Nixon resigned in early August 1974 so you probably weren't in school then. Can't really think of any other specific incident from that time frame. Could have been something related to Vietnam or Watergate.

Jim

 

[bellanotte10]

September 11 is the only one I was around for. I was in the 8th grade. The teachers all knew what had happened but were not allowed to tell the kids. At lunch we were told that the us had been attacked and our parents would tell us more when we got home. Of course then the wild rumors happened and kids were getting pulled out by parents. It was weird. My dad worked at the local AIr Force base picked me up. It had been shut down. He finally explained what happened when I was confused why my mom wasn't picking me up like she normally did.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Too young for the first three, so:

Reagan assasination attempt: Standing in my underwear at the locker changing for PE.

Challenger: just finished lunch in the dorm, and headed up to my floor to watch TV.

September 11th: at work. Co-worker in the next cube was getting calls from his wife. "What? Another plane? Are you serious? That can't be right". We still assumed the first plane was a small single engine craft at that point.

 

[njmom47]

Nov 22, 1963 JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy ?


I had just turned 3, and vaguely remember seeing his funeral on the little b&w tv we had.

April 4, 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

Don't remember (but I was 7)


July 20, 1969 Apollo 11,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

Don't remember; guess my parents didn't think it was important.

January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

I remember this happening but don't remember where I was.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, September 11 attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks



I was at work, and we had a temp working in the department. She had gotten a phone call from her friend who told her, and she, in turn, told all of us. We went into the kitchen and watched tv...like other posters, we all just seemed kind of lost. My dcuz works in the city but not near where the Twin Towers were. I did leave my kids in school, let them take the bus home, and then left work early to be with them. (We live about 2 hours from NYC; we lost 7 people from our town that day)

 

[LBIJim]

JFK-I wasn't in school yet and don't remember anything from the actual day he was asassinated. I think I have a very vague memory of watching his funeral on TV.

MLK-I was in third grade. Didn't know who MLK was at the time. I remember we got an unexpected day off from school on the day of his funeral.

Moon Landing-Probably the earliest memory I can recall in vivid detail. There were about 15 various family members watching TV at my grandmother's house. It was the norm to gather at my grandmother's on Sunday evenings and I think it was close to 11PM Eastern time. One uncle made a joke about the whole thing taking place on the beach in Atlantic City.

All the kids in the neighborhood were "moon crazy" that summer. A gas station (ARCO ?) was giving away these printed sheets of heavy paper where you punched out various pieces and folded them to make the Lunar Module.

This was also the weekend of the incident at Chapaquidick (sp). I had a vague idea who Ted Kennedy was, and the news reports were that he "drove off a bridge." I remember being disappointed when they showed the dinky wooden bridge. I suppose I was expecting something like the Golden Gate Bridge.

Challenger-I was at work. No TV available. Someone mentioned the accident. I guess I watched reports on TV when I got home that day.

9/11 Missed it completely. I was taking a vacation day. Daughters/wife had already left for school/work. I was just relaxing, reading the paper, did some yard work, went for a bike ride. Didn't turn on the radio, TV, or internet. I didn't find out until my wife called about noon. It was such a gorgeous day and I was planning to go to the beach in the afternoon but instead stayed glued to the TV for the rest of the day.

Jim

 

[ebtbmom]

I was born in 1977 so:
Challenger, they had us watching it at school, I was in 3rd grade I think. I remember the teachers gasping and staring, not really knowing what to do.

9/11, I was having breakfast in the lounge at work. When the second plane hit I had looked down to dig in my grapefruit and didn't actually see it live! Of course everyone in the room gasped and then we panicked.

If I may add one, when Princess Diana was in the horrible accident I was cleaning the bar area of the restaurant I worked at in college. They didn't know that she had died, but from the report it was clear that they didn't expect her to make it.

 

[mrodgers]

Nov 22, 1963 JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy ?

My parents were 13 and 15 (I think.)

April 4, 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.


My parents were dating

July 20, 1969 Apollo 11,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

My parents were just married

January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster


I was sitting in History class, 8th grade. We were watching it live.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, September 11 attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks


Woke up and Wifey had the TV on with the tower burning. She told me a plane hit it. That's when I took a double take on the image and said, "Wait! Where's the other tower??? "

Went to work 3-11 that day. No one at work had any idea what happened.