Current Events > What's the first major news story you remember as a child?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Chaze_the_chat posted...

9/11

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9/11
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The fall of the Berlin Wall. Was at my grandparents house and they and my parents were talking about it. Never even heard of the Berlin Wall and didn't know what it meant

Chaze_the_chat posted...

9/11

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Something about Elian Gonzalez

OJ

I still remember where i was, and everyone was watching the car chase on tv.
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Dahmer's arrest/trial
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specialkid8 posted...

I feel like there has to be something I remember before 9/11 but that's obviously the big one that stands out.

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No idea. The ice storm in 1998, I guess.
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TheBiggerWiggle posted...

I vaguely remember the OJ chase but I pretty clearly remember the Oklahoma City bombing. I would say the latter.

This.
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Lonestar2000 posted...

Fall of the Berlin Wall.

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I remember hearing about the OKC bombing, Princess Diana, the Clinton/Dole election, and Clinton/Lewinsky, but I don't remember following those from day-to-day, so I guess the bombing of Iraq or Kosovo in the late 1990s.

I do remember going to the polls with my dad in 96, but I didn't know who won until I randomly asked about the election days later, lol.

Not surprised about so many 9/11 answers, but a little surprised about no Florida recount answers.
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Y2K
2000 election + recount
9/11

Either OJ Simpson or the Oklahoma City bombings.
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OJ
Jon Bonnett Ramsey (sp)
Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding

Whichever came first
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OJ
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Rodney King and the LA riots
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Between OJ Simpson, Monica, or the Oklahoma bombing. I don't remember which was first but I remember those three.
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Butterfiles posted...

2000 election

I was going to say 9/11, but this one is probably it. Definitely remember that even if I didn't really fully grasp what was happening at the time.

9/11 on the other hand is a day I vividly remember, considering I had a direct view of the Manhattan skyline from my classroom.
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I remember being really little and seeing Bill Clinton on TV all the time. Obviously didn't understand it at the time but it was during the Lewinsky scandal.
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The "Red Team" (George H.W. Bush) beating the "Blue Team" (Michael Dukakis) in the 1988 general election. Haha.
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thelovefist posted...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

This for me too.

I remember my mom crying over it. For some reason the woman that was a teacher dying really hit my mom hard.
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I was gonna say Princess Diana

Funkydog posted...

Probably this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger

Was still very young at the time, but do have vague recollections of it.

But I remember this too. It was in the news for a long time.
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Why are so many people saying 9/11? I'm too fucking old
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Returning_CEmen posted...

Tonya Harding

I used to drink with her a lot here in Portland.
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens
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Oklahoma City bombing.
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Probably the columbine massacre.

1992 Bush Sr. vs Clinton election
1995 OJ Simpson murder trial
1995 Oklahoma City bombing
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Elian Gonzalez. I was in 3rd grade.

I was born in '89, so OJ SImpson... After that, the election between Clinton and Dole.
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Challenger disaster. I was still 3, almost 4. I would say maybe I'm remembering just the replays of it that were around for years afterwards and possibly that's what I remember. But I remember vividly doing Hands Across America just a few months later at 4. So I'm pretty sure what I remember of the Challenger was of the day it happened.

I know a lot of people call bs on memories from 3-4 years old but I swear I remember things, in vivid detail from those ages.

So if you want something specific. That I can remember as breaking news on the day of.
Pan Am 103 (Lockerbie bombing)
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Bill Clinton's sex scandal

EternalDivide posted...

I know a lot of people call bs on memories from 3-4 years old but I swear I remember things, in vivid detail from those ages.

I very clearly remember things from that age. I can still describe the small house I lived when I was 3. The rooms, the living room, the bathroom. I can remember the whole place perfectly, and I remember watching wrestling in the living room.
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Clinton's 96 campaign maybe?
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9/11. When I went to school that day, the teacher had a TV on in the classroom that was talking about the disaster, which is where I first found out. Grandparents told me more about it after school.
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WindMouseHanpan posted...

9/11. When I went to school that day, the teacher had a TV on in the classroom that was talking about the disaster, which is where I first found out. Grandparents told me more about it after school.

The first school year I got to miss post-graduation had just begun a few days before, so I was at home getting ready to go look for a job
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Clinton beating Bush for the presidency. I probably watched something of the Berlin Wall falling down but I wasn't quite 4 then.
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Unabomber bombing Oklahoma City.
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Gulf War
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Clinton vs Bob dole vs Ross Perot election.
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The 2000 election is probably the first big thing I really remember.

Bad_Mojo posted...

Why are so many people saying 9/11? I'm too fucking old

I used to work as a tutor for middle school kids. I brought up 9/11 to them once and many of them remarked, "Oh yeah, I was a baby when that happened," or, "My mom told me about that."

Of course, now most of those kids are in high school.

Bad_Mojo posted...

Why are so many people saying 9/11? I'm too fucking old

Average age for this website is mid-twenties.
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Either the OJ trial or Princess Diana's death, don't remember which came first.
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_Rinku_ posted...

The 2000 election is probably the first big thing I really remember.

Bad_Mojo posted...

Why are so many people saying 9/11? I'm too fucking old

I used to work as a tutor for middle school kids. I brought up 9/11 to them once and many of them remarked, "Oh yeah, I was a baby when that happened," or, "My mom told me about that."

Of course, now most of those kids are in high school.

You just said your first memory is from 2000. What the hell are you talking about?

The girl I dated in high school has a kid in the middle school I work at
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The Rodney King riots
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KazumaKiryu posted...

IDK I guess OJ Simpson.

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There's tons of stuff from before this because I was already pretty familiar with the news by then. But mine was basically the original 1992 World Trade Center bombings.

It was a pretty big story, though I was in NYC, so maybe it didn't get much coverage outside, but still, it was pretty damn big. Also my uncle worked there, so it stands out more.
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Northridge Earthquake or OJ Simpson, only because my mom started to call me Jojito in reference to Judge Ito.
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I want to say Timothy McVeigh. I was born in December 89.