First and foremost was the JFK assassination. After that, things seemed to get out of control - MLK and Bobby Kennedy assassinations, riots all over the place, Kent State (that was a biggie for me), Agnew and Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon downfalls.

 

The moon landing was one big bright spot in what seemed to be a decade of craziness.

Accepting Pinto & Flounder as pledges.

Shooting the horse in the dean's office.

Food Fight

Toga Party

Double Secret Probation

Dean Wormer drops the big one

"Germans bomb Pearl Harbor" inspirational speech

Homecoming Parade

"No Prisoners!"

Life as a US Senator

^ Between you and Randy, I've come to the conclusion we need more fictional/movie characters on BGP.

The earliest news worthy event I remember is Evil Knievel trying to jump Snake River Canyon, then Elvis' death. After that, I would say the attempted Reagan assassination.

I was just shy of 6 but I do remember seeing the moon landing. Obviously I didn't know the significance. Just thought it was cool.

 

I remember when Spiro "Nattering Nabob" Agnew resigned as VP. For some reason they brought our entire school into the gym to watch it. I was in about 4th grade sitting in the balcony with the daughter of former Reds pitcher Jim McGlothlin and being more interested in her than the resignation.

 

It was a beautiful spring day in 1981 when I walked out of Conner and got into my buddy Steve's Duster to head home when Q102 announced a)President Reagan had been shot and b)that Alexander Haig said "I'm in control here."

The first major news I can remember was when the first astronauts went into orbit. We had a newsletter called The Weekly Reader when I was in first grade and I remember our teacher talking about John Glenn, Allan Shepherd, and the space related news.

I also remember the presidential election of 1960. Though I was only 6 years old I recall watching the evening news with my parents (we only got two stations back then) and listening to the anchor say that the Nixon campaign was asking for a national canvass of the votes because the election was so close, both candidates getting slightly over 34 million votes. But JFK won the electoral. I didn't know what all that meant back then but I vaguely remember it.

Bush/Gore punch card

 

Who could forget this guy??

 

First and foremost was the JFK assassination. After that, things seemed to get out of control - MLK and Bobby Kennedy assassinations, riots all over the place, Kent State (that was a biggie for me), Agnew and Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon downfalls.

 

The moon landing was one big bright spot in what seemed to be a decade of craziness.

 

Riots. I forgot about that...watching the Rodney King trial, and the LA riots.

 

Also, I was caught in the middle of the Cincinnati riots in 2001. I won't ever forget running away from an angry black mob on Court Street in Cincinnati, taking cover in an office building, and looking out of a second story window to see a hot dog vendor have his cart overturned and get handed a brief beating before the cops in riot gear arrived shortly thereafter.

I have been thinking about this thread for a while and will share only one memory because it is one of the first in my long life. World War II. 1945 / 46. I was 5. My dad was exempt because he was a rancher and milked cows. We lived in California and had many neighbors and friends of several shades of color and nationality. We traded for wine with the Italians, for bread with the Armenians and Dad worked cattle on open range with Mexicans, Blacks, Portuguese, Russians and who knows else. On our one trip to town each month we ate at a Chinese restaurant. Dad took the owner eggs and milk and one time they invited us to the back room for a family celebration. He never made bad comments about the "Okies" or "Arkies" who he said worked hard. He did say "Stay away from the Gypsies. They like to steal children" I report this because we also occasionally drove by the Japanese internment camp. Dad would swear every time. Later, I had a crush on a Japanese classmate. I never told Dad. Mom had 3 brothers serving in the Navy. She wrote letters to them every week and to their wives waiting at home. I remember Mom using sugar rationing stamps at the store. We cooked and canned our own food, so sugar was important. Listening to the news on the radio every evening after supper was also important.

I have vague memories of JFK getting shot though I didn't understand what it was about. I do remember sitting in class at Blessed Sacrament when they wheeled in the big black and white TV so we could watch coverage of Bobby's assassination.

My first distinct memory is 1967, Apollo 1 and the death of Gus Grissom and crew. My dad was fascinated by the space program, we watched every Apollo launch.

 

Same year, Ali stripped of title for refusing to enter military and Thurgood Marshall becomes a Supreme Court Justice.

 

My family has always been very political, so just about every major (and a lot of minor) political events since then are part of my memory.

This may not qualify as an historic event, but my earliest basketball memory is Michael Jordan hitting the game-winning shot against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA title game.

This may not qualify as an historic event, but my earliest basketball memory is Michael Jordan hitting the game-winning shot against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA title game.

 

 

How can that be, you were born in 2005.

Does Beverly Hills Supper Club count? I remember it like it was yesterday.....

 

Stood on Highland Ave where the Church is now near the bottom and watched it burn to the ground!

The Space shuttle explosion. I remember sitting in Coach Kenny Shields health class watching it live and we were all like.....What the heck just happened! That was sickening.....