Just saw streetlight22's post of the "Day Before" photos and it made me wonder what Plimates were doing when they heard the news of:

1. 911
2. JFK assassination
3. Moon landing
4. (others?)

911: I was in my school library watching the buildings smoke on TV with a dozen or so others before our day started. I remember the awful grin on another teacher's face! I don't want the memory.

JFK: I was a spotty young kid and saw it on the TV while doing my homework. Didn't really see the gravity of it being so young and being in Wales, UK at the time.

Moon: Was hauled out of bed early in the morning by my mother who insisted that I watch it. I didn't want to, but I'm REALLY glad that I did. I hate the thought that it might be a hoax!

Well, 2 and 3 I wasn't born yet.

As for 1, I was at work, doing an early/night shift. I overheard the store manager talking to my boss about two planes that crashed in NYC and wasn't it crazy that it happened on the same day? It wasn't until I was driving home that I heard on the radio about terrorists.

I got home and got a frantic call from my mom, who was certain someone was going to drop the bomb on us and was freaking out because my brother was in his special school which was an hour's drive away. I talked her down while quietly freaking out myself because my sister, who was my roomie at the time, wasn't home yet. Turns out she'd stayed at work, Target, to watch the news on TV. We were both reeling from lack of sleep but stayed awake as long as possible to watch the news. I finally gave up when they showed footage of the second tower and I realized the "debris" falling were actually human bodies . . . couldn't take any more after that.

1. 911

My wife woke me up to see it on TV. I was just offered a new job and I was to begin the next morning. I stayed home all day riveted to the news like most people.

2. JFK assassination

I was probably crapping my diapers at the time. I was less than a year old.

3. Moon landing

Probably playing outside at the time. I have a very vague memory of watching the landing on television (I was only 6 years old).

4. (others?)

Challenger Explosion (first shuttle disaster)

I was teaching a rescue swimmer class in the Navy. I pulled all the students out of the water and we watched the news broadcast.

Fall of Berlin Wall

Sitting on flight alert on an aircraft carrier in the Mediteranean.

First Gulf War starts

I was flying search and rescue missions from an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

Columbia breakup (2nd shuttle disaster)

I was watching it on TV, expecting to step outside and hear the sonic boom as it approached Florida. Of course, that never happened.

911: On my way to work. Traffic had completely stopped and the lady on the radio was overly excited. She wasn't reporting the news very clearly and I wasn't really sure what had happened until I got to work.

JFK: Not born yet.

Moon: Sleeping (either that or getting my diaper changed)

Others:
Challenger exploding: In the computer lab in College. We left to go to the student union and see what the TV was saying about it.

Columbia disintegrating: Getting my oil changed. Saw it on the TV.

Desert Storm.
Beginning of ground war: I was temporarily assigned in Camp Geiger at the time. I was immediately recalled to base and told that I had to get my gear ready in case of emergency.

Berlin Wall falling: I was stationed in Keflavik, Iceland at the time. We were all put on full alert and told to be ready for anything.

OJ Verdict: HR wheeled a TV into the break room and we all watched.

1. 9/11
I was finishing up the year's fieldwork in the bush with no tv, radio, newspaper... just a crappy sat phone and an old radio. I had no clue anything was amiss until the late next day when our plane did not arrive. I did, however, note the absence of high-level air traffic and the brilliant blue sky around mid-day, and wondered if something was up (I assumed a horrid fall storm somewhere over the Arctic ocean, and it was diverting air traffic elsewhere, though).

2. 3.
not even yet a twinkle in my daddy's eye.

4. Others....

Challenger
We were watching it at school; our teacher put it on because it was: a.) cool and sciencey, b.) a teacher, just like herself, was on board and c.) it was just after the class bell had rung and being January in the prairies, most kids were a little late due to being snowed in a bit. We were all shocked and horrified; I had always thought astronauts were invincible and their spacecraft so reliable...

London bombings - 2005
Didn't have a clue anything had happened till I crawled out off the tundra over a month later.

I've come to accept that the world really can change and I won't notice.

I would never had guessed. Super interesting! I'm glad I asked. We all have very different backgrounds on here.

I wasn't born for JFK and was only 4 months old when the moon landing took place, so I was probably soiling a diaper.

On the morning of 9/11, I was at work. I was an office manager then with 17 people working for me. I heard someone say a plane went into one of the towers and everyone stopped working to talk about it. Trying to meet a project deadline, I rather sternly told everyone to get back to work. In my defense, I assumed they meant a small, personal aircraft had gone into the building. Tragic, yes, but not enough to keep people in Maryland from stopping their assignment (in my mind at the time, anyway).

A few moments later when we turned on the tv in the breakroom, I stood motionless watching both buildings collapse and felt overwhelmingly stupid for my initial reaction.

ugh!

1. 911

I was getting ready for work, and I got a phone call from a friend to turn on the TV. I turned it on just as the second plane hit. (They were showing the damage from the first and didn't know a second one was inbound.) He had just turned it on, and we didn't really know what was happening. We thought it was rockets/missiles. We were moving offices, so I was in the car listening to the news all day.

2. JFK assassination

Not yet born, but my folks were stationed in Japan. My next-older sister was either just born or just about to be.

3. Moon landing

I was too young to remember.

4. (others?)

Challenger Explosion (first shuttle disaster)

I was working at the Sahara in Las Vegas. We had talked the sports book folks into showing the launch on the biggest race screen. When it blew up, a gambler sitting next to me (who was mad that HIS race was on a small screen) said loudly "There goes another couple of billion dollars wasted by our government!" I looked at him and said "You just watched 11 people die." He looked shocked. He hadn't even considered anything but his inconvenience.

Fall of Berlin Wall

No clue.

First Gulf War starts

At work. Don't recall being shocked enough to remember what was going on in my life then.

Columbia breakup (2nd shuttle disaster)

I, too, was watching it on TV. Just kind of sat there and stared at the tube, not quite sure how to feel.

Y2K
I had just spent several years helping hospitals around the country inventory and ensure the continued functionality of medical equipment. Went to Monterey, CA. and enjoyed their "First Night" celebration. 10,000 people, street shows, NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED. Was a great celebration. (I sometimes get an attitude when people say how Y2K was a lot of hype. I know too many people that worked extremely hard to make sure it was not a problem where it counted.

Born yesterday.

yeah, but what were you doing??

Good idea for a thread!

1. 911:Worked the day out. Not a pussy.
2. JFK assassination: Walking down the street wondering WTF.
3. Moon landing:Watched on TV
4. (others?): 1989 S.F. Earthquake...In S.F thinking...WTF.

I am too young for JFK/moon landing, but I remember 9/11. I was in a YMCA program afterschool, and all the students were talking about something. Of course I didn't have a clue. My parents explained the situation later.

y2k? sitting in front of my computer saying goodbye to a good friend.

9/11
Watching the 2nd plane approach and hit the south tower from my office window. Watching it enter and exit the building and wondering WTF happened to all the other buildings in the area.

Seeing both towers collapse in front of my eyes.

Waiting for the "all clear" to leave the office because of the air pollution to walk 2 hours up to Grand Central Station hoping that a train would take me home. Took me 4 hours to get home.

Calling family and friends on my company installed ISDN line phone (which was the only phone that worked for about a week) to let them know I was ok.

Cleaning the brown debris off my clothes and shoes. I still have the mask I got that day on South Street from someone giving them out so we didn't have to be so exposed to the air.

2. JFK Assassination Announcement made in school. We all went home. Got a day off. Went to the playground. Watched Mom crying watching television all the time and not understanding until I saw the Lee Harvey Oswald assassination live on tv.

3. Moon Landing Got out of the shower, wearing a towel, walked into the living room in time for the landing and freaked out. Space nut to this day.

I can't imagine how it must have felt waiting for the possible THIRD plane. What a life changing event, being there.

We were standing at the window, watching the fire in the north tower. We saw the 2nd plane approaching (myself and a member of my staff) and both started screaming "what is that plane doing?". When we saw the plane hit and then exit (yes, we saw the front of the plane exit the tower) we got freaked out about what was happening with all the other buildings in the financial district.

I still have nightmares.

Needless to say, you understand the true meaning of "surreal." You have a perspecive of that horrible collision that many of us don't have. We've all seen the standard news shots but that nose exiting the building must be well burned into your brain. What were people like on the journey home that day? Did people talk to strangers on the public transit system. My guess is that it brought people together for a while.

--911

I was in junior high and it was passing period when my smoking buddy told me, "we're under attack". I had no idea what he was talking about until I went to my English class and saw the news on the classroom TV.

--Virgina Tech

I was playing WoW and saw someone say "how can one guy kill 30 people?" in the general chat. I thought he meant some lvl 70 horde killed a bunch of lowbies. Then I found out what actually happened.

--Heath High School Shooting

I was in 4th grade at Heath Elementary School, which was across the street from HHS. Our school was locked down and my BFF Kaitlyn was crying because her mom worked at HHS and both of her siblings were students there. We later found out that her mom was in a classroom around the corner from where the shooting took place, and her sister was in the shooting. Her sister was standing right in front of Missy Jenkins (our friend's cousin who was shot and became paralyzed) and she was frozen with fear. One of her friends pushed her out of the way just in time.

All my memories are very visual, since the office building I worked in was pretty soundproof. I can replay the dark blue plane against the brilliant blue sky approach low, bank and turn and crash into the south side of the tower and the nose coming out the east side.

After each tower fell, the entire area was enveloped in a dark brownish/gray cloud of debris. All I could see out the office window was a lit "PARK" sign for the garage across the street.

Once the 2nd debris cloud lifted and some time passed - around noon - a group of 6 or so of us started walking from lower Manhattan up to the midtown commuter rail stations (subway system was shut down).

We were herded by police and the military into a large group of fellow refugees and proceeded up a route that was controlled by them. The people on the way up were incredible. Churches, schools, store owners, apartment building tenants opened their hearts and were allowing us to use bathroom facilities, giving out water (it was hot that day) and in the case of the Salvation Army facility - food as well.

All of the people we passed were very very kind and encouraging. It took about 2 hours to walk to Grand Central Station since it was a slow pace walking in a pack of thousands - we didn't even know if the trains were running since every public transportation system had been shut down.

Turns out my commuter rail line was about to run one train on each of its three routes. I was lucky I got a seat. They packed the train, SRO, no fares were collected - but you couldn't get through the aisle anyway.

The train ride was very very quiet.

When I got home, I poured myself a vodka, called Mom, bf and boss and cried like a baby.

I'd love to hear more stories from you all.

Thanks for sharing that Suebe! What an unbelievable experience. Sure makes me wonder "what's next." It's negative thinking in a way, but on the other hand it's just a matter of probability that something just as large or larger will occur again in some city's future. Hope we're doing enough for inland security! (I know Canada's not). Where's that vodka? /shudder