For me it was the Challenger news story 40 years ago. I was 6 years old, and I remember it very well. That day, our teacher at school made us have a moment of silence after we said the Pledge of Alliegence.
Yes that was a big shock.
My first memory was the coronation of Elizabeth 2.
The actual event didn’t mean much to me but we had a big party in school and there were flags everywhere (unusual in the UK)
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In July 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon!
Absolutely MASSIVE news at the time and much anticipated. And of course the situation was ongoing!
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I think the earliest news I can remember is the minute’s silence on the radio for the death of King George VI, I was probably about 5 years old
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The shooting of JF Kennedy.
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The shooting of President Kennedy, on 22 November 1963
The Aberfan Disaster on 21 October 1966
So although they were three years apart, now that I look back they seem to have been much closer together
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I was trying to figure out which was first, Kennedy assassination or the Cuban missile crisis. Most because my dad was SAC (strategic Air command) and they kept the B52s in the air and didn’t see him for awhile.
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Same here … except I can’t remember the actual moon landing.
I was outside playing and he called me inside to sit and watch something on the TV. He said it was making history and was special.
I’m actually just guessing it was the moon landing.
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Likewise!
At least not in real time, it was the build up, the tension.
We’d build model rockets at home and in school out of junk. Action Man was second best!
Oh Action Man … I had two.
Filched off my brothers. I called one Sebastian as he was dressed in a French Resistance oufit and the other Chekov, in his Russian uniform.
Much better than girl’s dolls.
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Who would dare argue with Sebastian and Chekov? 
I think I may have mistreated them a tiny bit. 
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Similar, Smithy. Another memory was 1977, ERII, and another Elizabeth for us.
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I wonder if major news seems more diluted nowadays with all the coverage it gets?
Possibly so, Morti. And maybe it also depends who or why remembers it. One for me was the Aberfan disaster. It was the scale of it and number of children.
That was absolutely horrific … so yes, it would really stick in the mind.
First might have been the Smog over london . It was so thick the only way to go anywhere was to follow the tail lights for the car in front, often landing up in someone elses driveway. Yes it was that thick you could hardly see your feet, I kid you not.
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That was definitely in the news …here’s a video
I would have liked to have been there when The Beatles conquered America, and the world!
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