Topic: Your Earliest News Memory

[bradders1011]

What's the earliest news story you remember?

Born September 88, I think mine is the wreck of the MV Braer off Shetland in January 1993 and the resulting oil spill. I just had the image of a shipwreck with a big M on the funnel seared into my memory.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Braer

[afc tukrish]

Nixon getting impeached and resigning.

Too young to really understand it, but the helicopter trip was sort of sad to watch.

[Dr. Beaker]

JFK's death.

[Riquende]

1990 for me. I remember a big deal being made about Nelson Mandela's release, without knowing who he was & I remember the start of the Gulf War.

And from the same year I remember Thatcher getting the boot.

In sporting news, I remember Italia '90 happening. And the small matter of a league win which I barely grasped the significance of, I think before that I'd only really watched FA cup finals.

[classycarra]

Was going to say earliest I remember off hand is Princess Di car crash - was at my grandparents and they had all the tv channels (stuff like cartoon network that we never had), and remember all the programming being taken off for coverage on all the channels.

Having said that, I seem to recall stark images and reports about the IRA bombing of Manchester and the neonazi nail bombings in London - have just looked up when those were and it was 1996 and 1999 respectively.

I'm sure reading other people's might jog my memory - am sure I remember John Major on the news a fair bit, so must go earlier thn 96

[Robinred]

The death of King George VI; honestly.

I remember being given a Coronation mug with QE2’s face on it too. And every day at school, thanks to Attlee’s Labour postwar government, we had a teaspoonful of concentrated orange juice, a teaspoonful of malt extract and a teaspoonful of cod liver oil - all washed down with a third of a pint of full fat milk.

[bigbonedrawky]

For me I was playing with my action man I'd tied a white shoelace around his neck and the other end around a brass knob on the drawer of a dark oak side board. I was swinging it from right to left trying to get action man, on to the top of the sideboard. When my mother asked me "Are you hanging action man for what he's done to that little girl ? " I turned around looked at the TV and saw a naked girl running towards the camera screaming, alongside some other kids...That memory is burned deep in my mind.
Wikipedia tells me it happened on june 8th 1972 so it's sometime after that, I'm approx 2 years of age.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc
 
At a similar age my son is stood staring at the TV as the second tower was struck... I told him "some very bad men have done that " What else could I say ?

[Dr. Beaker]

For me I was playing with my action man I'd tied a white shoelace around his neck and the other end around a brass knob on the drawer of a dark oak side board. I was swinging it from right to left trying to get action man, on to the top of the sideboard. When my mother asked me "Are you hanging action man for what he's done to that little girl ? " I turned around looked at the TV and saw a naked girl running towards the camera screaming, alongside some other kids...That memory is burned deep in my mind.
Wikipedia tells me it happened on june 8th 1972 so it's sometime after that, I'm approx 2 years of age.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc
 
At a similar age my son is stood staring at the TV as the second tower was struck... I told him "some very bad men have done that " What else could I say ?

I used to know the cameraman that filmed that - he died a few years ago.

[Son of Spion]

Probably the Moon landings in 1969. I was six at the time.

[GreatEx]

Australia winning the America's Cup in whatever year that was, 83?

[LFC_R_BOSS]

1984 Brighton bombing .

[spen71]

Elvis Presley dying.   Day before my 6 birthday   August 16th 1977

[demain]

The start of the Gulf War in the summer of 1990.

[reddebs]

Probably the Moon landings in 1969. I was six at the time.

That sticks in my mind too but I think probably because my dad either kept us up late or got us up early to watch it and sat with us explaining what was happening and why it was such a huge moment.

Having said that I also remember the '66 world cup vividly but I can't remember if it was because I watched it (probably) or because I've seen it so many times since.

[Iska]

The death of King George VI; honestly.

Amazing answer.  Royal wedding 1981 for me, though actually I’m not 100% sure it isn’t Andrew’s wedding I’m thinking of, years later.  If that is a false memory then it’s harder - I think I remember the Falklands as it was happening; I definitely remember the Brisbane commonwealth games the same year cos it meant the telly was on at breakfast time, but that isn’t really news-news.  So my definite-definite answer is the miners’ strike, particularly the concrete block being pushed off a bridge and killing some guy driving past below.

I was trying to think of the most recent major event that I *don’t* have a memory of, but that turns out to be impossible as I can’t distinguish between learning it later as an adult and learning it at the time as an adult.  For some reason it’s no problem making that distinction with things I missed as a kid.  I find that really interesting - I wonder why that is?

[west_london_red]

Fall of the Berlin Wall, Poll Tax Riots, Desert Storm

[KillieRed]

Someone throwing paint at Ted Heath in Downing Street. Not a momentous piece of news, no one was actually hurt, it was just such an odd thing to happen especially for a young lad who never paid attention to The News.

[TSC]

Earliest memory must be from mid 1970s.  Not the content but recall the intro at lunchtime, ‘this is the 1 o’clock news from ITN, with Robert Kee’.

[Schmarn]

Thatcher winning in 79 unfortunately.

[So… Howard Philips]

Munich plane crash.

All the mums were in the street saying it was just like the war with all those young men dead. I couldn’t understand why English people were even in Germany, living next door to a bomb site in Dingle people talked like it was dropped yesterday.

[Red Ol]

It’s should be the moon landings for me as I was 4 and it was truly a momentous event … but sadly I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I do, however, vividly remember decimalisation when I was about 6 as there were public information films broadcast quite regularly and it must have interrupted or been shown around the same time as Joe 90 or something else I would have been glued to at the time.

[TepidT2O]

 Callaghan’s government collapsing

[Elmo!]

I think it was probably the Bosnian War. I guess the reason I remember it is because my parents took in and helped some refugees so I was forced as a 6/7 year old to figure out what was going on in the world, don't think I had taken any notice until then.

[rob1966]

It’s should be the moon landings for me as I was 4 and it was truly a momentous event … but sadly I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I do, however, vividly remember decimalisation when I was about 6 as there were public information films broadcast quite regularly and it must have interrupted or been shown around the same time as Joe 90 or something else I would have been glued to at the time.

I remember going with my Dad to pick up my Mum and my new baby brother from Fazak Hospital in May 1969, but cannot remember the Moon Landings even being spoken about, never mind on the news. I do remember the fuss about decimalisation, I also remember toys costing half a crown on Bob Isherwoods stall in Kirkby Market.

It's odd this, I'm trying to think of the clearest memory I have and Elvis dying in 1977 sticks out the most, ITV interrupted the telly to break the news. I've obviously got earlier ones, as the radio was always on and I always watched daytime telly with my Nan, I remember watching Andy Pandy on watch with Mother, both colour and black and white, but the news I must have just ignored.

[TSC]

I've obviously got earlier ones, as the radio was always on and I always watched daytime telly with my Nan, I remember watching Andy Pandy on watch with Mother, both colour and black and white, but the news I must have just ignored.

The joys of childrens tv back in the day.  Recall the likes of bagpuss, mr benn and some sort of Indian music prog preceding cartoons on a Sunday morning in the 70s

Anyway going off on a tangent.

[Commie Bobbie]

Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987.

In part because so many of the crew who perished came from down here.

[Millie]

The first moon landings for me too.  I can vividly remember walking home with my Mum looking up at the night sky and trying to see them 

[Dr. Beaker]

Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987.

In part because so many of the crew who perished came from down here.

Ah, the Thatcher years, when we seemed to have a major disaster every week.

[Stubbins]

The assassination of JFK.

I'd just turned six and I was out and about with my mam when she was doing some shopping. Cold, dark and miserable evening as I remember. I couldn't wait to get home to play with my Lego. Someone she knew stopped her in the street and I could tell from the agitated conversation that something was up. She grabbed my hand and raced home at a pace I'd never seen before. My little legs could barely keep up. When we got home, my dad was there glued to the small black & white tv in the corner and I could sense that something was seriously wrong. These two aren't helping me with my Lego tonight I thought.

[TepidT2O]

Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987.

In part because so many of the crew who perished came from down here.

I went on that a year before it happened … same route then my dad drove to Holland…

[Statto Red]

Brighton bombing, mostly as we were playing later that same day, which was Spurs away, one of the Friday night matches from those days, Dalglish was dropped for the match, even Fagan later said it was the daftest decision he ever made as manager.

 Quite interesting re watching major news events from then, news item was to the point, couple of interviews, then moving to the next news item nowadays, they'd be extended coverage for hours, even interviewing some yokels in the street.

[TSC]

In terms of actual news earliest memories include the death of Elvis and assassination of John Lennon.

[oldfordie]

JFK,  Can't say it hit me hard just splashed all over the news.

Earliest news memory which did affect me was opening the Sunday newspaper which would have been the NOTW and The People and seeing the middle pages full of pictures of the Nazi concentration camps and feeling horrified reading about it, ,can still remember thinking how could something like this have happened. never been able to pin the date down for certain but I assume it must have been down to the capture of a Nazi war criminal like Eichman so I would have been around 11.

[Iska]

Brighton bombing, mostly as we were playing later that same day, which was Spurs away, one of the Friday night matches from those days, Dalglish was dropped for the match, even Fagan later said it was the daftest decision he ever made as manager.

A+ rawk posting on a major world event this, just missing the scoreline, times of the goals and a description of the away end.

[west_london_red]

Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987.

In part because so many of the crew who perished came from down here.

Now you mention that I can remember that happening, and now you’ve mentioned one disaster I think Lockerbie was at about the same time?

[Elmo!]

Now you mention that I can remember that happening, and now you’ve mentioned one disaster I think Lockerbie was at about the same time?

Piper Alpha as well. I know people who were affected by that but I was only 2 at the time.

[Dr. Beaker]

Piper Alpha as well. I know people who were affected by that but I was only 2 at the time.

The Kings Cross fire too.

[goalrushatgoodison]

Definitely the moon landings for me - not sure if it was the first ones or later as I wasn't quite 4 in July 1969. I moved house just before my eight birthday and the only memories I have of the television before that are the moon landing footage and FA cup finals!!!

[Jiminy Cricket]

Definitely the moon landings for me - not sure if it was the first ones or later as I wasn't quite 4 in July 1969. I moved house just before my eight birthday and the only memories I have of the television before that are the moon landing footage and FA cup finals!!!

False memory - never happened.

[beardsley4ever]

This thread has been amazing - nice to know that there are a fewer older people than me on here. :-)

Mine is Lennon being shot.  I don't really remember how I processed it, but I remember being told the news.