Oldest historical event you can remember happening

[Egghebrecht 368]

I had a conversation with my significant other the other day how all the teenagers in the classes she is teaching got born after 9/11 and that got me thinking about what the oldest big event is that I can remember happening.

 

For me the oldest recollection of such an event is watching the fall of the Berlin wall in '89 on TV in my grandmothers house.

 

So what is the oldest big historical event you can remember happening?

[Shooter585 192]

Definitely 9/11, that's the first one that comes to mind. I kind of remember the New Year's 2000 as well. At that age the only thing that matters to you is the stuff immediately surrounding you, not the greater world. You're not likely to take note if something significant happens. For example I have memories from the 90s but I can't recall any historical events.

[Shebi3 3]

I would have to say 9/11 as well.. I was in school at the time.

[Chaoss 77]

Would have to be 9/11 for me as well. I remember things in the late 90's, but the first thing I'd deem historical enough would have to be 9/11.

[Yuanrang 348]

Roughly the end of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, if I am not entirely wrong.

[Arianna 749]

Roughly the end of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, if I am not entirely wrong.

Pretty much the same if a bit earlier - I distinctly remember my grandmother swearing at the newspaper reporting either the 1991 Croatian referendum or the siege of Dubrovnik (she was born in what, in 1991, was part of Yugoslavia - that'd be the 'rijeka' bit in my nickname).

 

Probably I do remember something earlier still, but it's hard to mark a line between actual memories and videos seen at a later time.

 

Would have to be 9/11 for me as well. I remember things in the late 90's, but the first thing I'd deem historical enough would have to be 9/11.

I would have to say 9/11 as well.. I was in school at the time.

Definitely 9/11, that's the first one that comes to mind. I kind of remember the New Year's 2000 as well. At that age the only thing that matters to you is the stuff immediately surrounding you, not the greater world. You're not likely to take note if something significant happens. For example I have memories from the 90s but I can't recall any historical events.

good god what

[Chaoss 77]

Would have to be 9/11 for me as well. I remember things in the late 90's, but the first thing I'd deem historical enough would have to be 9/11.

I would have to say 9/11 as well.. I was in school at the time.

Definitely 9/11, that's the first one that comes to mind. I kind of remember the New Year's 2000 as well. At that age the only thing that matters to you is the stuff immediately surrounding you, not the greater world. You're not likely to take note if something significant happens. For example I have memories from the 90s but I can't recall any historical events.

good god what

We're young'uns!

Edited November 4, 2015 by Chaoss

[Arianna 749]

Would have to be 9/11 for me as well. I remember things in the late 90's, but the first thing I'd deem historical enough would have to be 9/11.

I would have to say 9/11 as well.. I was in school at the time.

Definitely 9/11, that's the first one that comes to mind. I kind of remember the New Year's 2000 as well. At that age the only thing that matters to you is the stuff immediately surrounding you, not the greater world. You're not likely to take note if something significant happens. For example I have memories from the 90s but I can't recall any historical events.

good god what

We're young'uns!

heh, I was returning from school that day, saw it on TV and I was like "oh, no, not another disaster movie, I've got to study (my grandfather used to watch TV in the afternoon, his hearing wasn't quite up to scratch already) and explosions are going to -- wait, that's the news, whaaaaat"

[Sobend 912]

Would have to be 9/11 for me as well. I remember things in the late 90's, but the first thing I'd deem historical enough would have to be 9/11.

I would have to say 9/11 as well.. I was in school at the time.

Definitely 9/11, that's the first one that comes to mind. I kind of remember the New Year's 2000 as well. At that age the only thing that matters to you is the stuff immediately surrounding you, not the greater world. You're not likely to take note if something significant happens. For example I have memories from the 90s but I can't recall any historical events.

good god what

We're young'uns!

heh, I was returning from school that day, saw it on TV and I was like "oh, no, not another disaster movie, I've got to study (my grandfather used to watch TV in the afternoon, his hearing wasn't quite up to scratch already) and explosions are going to -- wait, that's the news, whaaaaat"

I had a similar experience. Came home from school, my sister was watching MTV which was obviously showing ABC news or something. First thing that came to my mind was not the destruction of the towers but "why is MTV showing the news?"

Edited November 5, 2015 by Sobend

[William Howard Taft 81]

The impeachment trial of Bill Clinton for me.

[reepicheep 324]

Probably the fireworks disaster in Enschede (city in the Netherlands)? Bunch of people died after a fireworks storage depot exploded.

[Egghebrecht 368]

Probably the fireworks disaster in Enschede (city in the Netherlands)? Bunch of people died after a fireworks storage depot exploded.

still remember that horrible video of the guy filming above his head through the window and the glass starting to meld

 

brrr

[Balayage95 3]

I am pretty young compared to many of you on this forum. The oldest historical, tragic event that I can remember was most definitely 9/11. I remember it very clearly as I was watching it on TV because that day I realized that the world wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. I was 5 at that time so it was quite life changing for me even though it never really directly impacted me.

[Traviesa 5]

After a certain age, you don't think of events as historical, just (recent) memories. Then you realise it was 20 years ago. It is distressing when offspring or nieces/nephews study the culture of your adolescence as "history". It's also interesting what children are taught in school as important issues, whereas you vaguely remember reading about it in the newspaper, but were otherwise distracted by your studies or earning a living.

 

Your friend celebrates her 30th wedding anniversary and you think to yourself "How can she have been doing anything for 30 years, much less be married?" It turns out you, too, have been married longer than you were ever single.

[Arianna 749]

Your friend celebrates her 30th wedding anniversary and you think to yourself "How can she have been doing anything for 30 years, much less be married?" It turns out you, too, have been married longer than you were ever single.

First reaction: phew, it's still seven years until that milestone.

 

Later: Jesus Christ on a sanctified pogo stick, it's just seven years until that milestone.

[Nitua 78]

Gary Anderson missing the FG in the 1998 NFC Championship game for the Vikings.

[thepope1322 399]

heh, I was returning from school that day, saw it on TV and I was like "oh, no, not another disaster movie, I've got to study (my grandfather used to watch TV in the afternoon, his hearing wasn't quite up to scratch already) and explosions are going to -- wait, that's the news, whaaaaat"

"Which Die Hard movie is this?"

[William Howard Taft 81]

I'll mention some other events that stick out to me. I remember New Year's 2000, we had bought a computer about two years prior and I remember waking up really early (at the time, 6am was early for me, even more so now) and turning it on to make sure it worked, and it did. Went back to sleep for a couple of hours and woke up for school.

 

I remember 9/11, obviously. I was already ten at the time. I was afraid terrorists would pop out of the cornfields and shoot my dad on his way back home from church. That was the first time we had a TV in the house since like…1994 or something.

[Twist of Fate 288]

I remember Princess Diana's accident, the blizzard of '96, the new millennium

[Goggie 136]

Probably for me the war in Kosovo, as our teachers made some attempt at describing to us what was going on. Then after that 9/11 obviously sticks out, although admittedly I wasn't really old enough to make much sense of it.

[Sofee 75]

I wasn't a very observant kid outside my little world, I can't remember any significant 'first' historical events before the age of 9. I would've been barely old enough to remember 9/11, but I don't. I guess living in a non-Western country kinda shielded me from everything that happened in America, Europe etc., the worst thing that I remember was that Indonesia was having forest fires and the smoke sent Malaysia into a pretty bad haze. That was a couple times, really. And that the rainforests were getting chopped down around our house so we were getting daily visits from hungry monkeys.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Sofee

[Yankee 1]

Zezima drop party

[Goggie 136]

Zezima drop party

 

Mine was falador massacre, rest in pepperoni construction enthusiasts

 

back when Nightwish made rsmvs