Dateline: January, 28th, 1986
NASA's space shuttle, Challenger, explodes just shy of 80 seconds after take-off killing the entire crew.
This is my first memory of a national tragedy. It's the first memory that I have of a "I remember where I was the day [X] happened..." On that day, I was 7 1/2, attending Country Place Elementary. The entire student body and teachers had gathered in a common area called the "Kiva," a recessed open space. They had a 24" television set up for everyone to watch the event. I remember when it occurred that I wasn't even sure what I just saw. One second, there's a rocket with a plume of smoke jetting out the back, the next second, it just sort-of broke apart in mid-air. It was puzzling really. After that, I'm fairly certain the broadcast was turned off and everyone was ushered back into their respective classrooms.
It's funny what stands out in the memory, especially regarding things that occurring during your childhood. I seem to recall that there was a lot of emphasis on the tragedy of losing a teacher, Christa McAuliffe. Maybe it was because I was in school at the time and was around so many other teachers. Mom was and is a teacher. It just seemed "close to home."
It pales in comparison to the 9/11 stories but I believe it's still a scar on the national conscience, one that I experienced in a visceral way.
Monday, January 29, 2007
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4 comments:
Look at me! I'm the first reader to post on the new blog!
Since my hometown--Huntsville, Alabama--could easily be called The City that NASA built, that event was pretty devastating to people at my school.
Ick -
What was your impression? You would've been in high school at the time so you may have more vivid memory of the event.
Since Desert Storm occurred when I was past the age of 12, I have many more memories of watching the very-televised war.
Just tried to respond, and blogger lost my comments! Frack!
What I remember was a sense of shock. But I also remember pretty soon afterward (a few weeks) a number of jokes circulating. I was surprised at how soon.
Back then, shuttle launches were a big deal. We'd stop class to watch the live TV coverage. Nowadays, you couldn't pay me to watch. It's so boring.
You lost your comments on my blogger site? That's blogging karma for you. I lost mine your site, one time, back at Christmas. Don't ever let it happen again. :)
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