Personal Historical Anecdotes Thread

[rotorgun]

Thinking on the wide age groups represented in the Org gave me an idea. I thought about a thread were we all could share some personal stories of some the historical events we all may have experienced. For instance, in my lifetime I have lived through, and sometimes been personally involved in many historical events. Some of these include:

The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Vietnam War
The American Civil Rights Movement
Watergate
The Cold War
The Arab Israeli Conflict
The Fall of The Soviet Union
The Landing on the Moon (To include the Race for Space)
...and many more

Here's one I remember from my earliest days. I was 4 years old in November of 1963, and can remember just having sat down in the kitchen for a snack-pizza I think, when my father suddenly came through the door early from work. I thought it was odd that my Dad had been crying. I remember him asking my mother "Have you heard? Someone shot the President in Dallas!" My mother was stunned, and she to began to cry. I wasn't old enough to understand why everyone was upset, but soon I began to cry. Then we all sat in front of the television, an old and dilapidated black and white set, with those "Rabbit ears" type of antennae. I can't remember the specifics, but it seemed that something dreadful had happened and all the networks (all three that we could get) stopped all other coverage. I do remember Walter Cronkite speaking in a somber way, but didn't recall then what he said. Of course his famous broadcast is quite well known today, but then I just remember that all the adults seemed to be upset.

Anyway, I thought that might make a good start. I hope that everyone who wants to can share some of their memories. Let's all respect each others contributions, and avoid any rancor, although a bit of tongue in cheek humor wouldn't be amiss. I think it could be a real great way of seeing our recent history in a different light than through the professional lens of scholarly works. Any one else want to give it a try?

PS: We could also include anecdotes from our ancestors, both living and passed on as well.