Moments in History

Today was a great, historical moment for our nation. That got me thinking about all the historical events that I have lived through and can remember on my own (without having to have learned it in history or from my history-genius husband). So, here are a few...

The Challenger. This is probably the first historical event that I can remember hearing about on the day it happened. I was in the 4th grade, and was overwhelmed. Also in the 4th grade, I remember hearing about the AIDS epidemic and wondered if I might have it...

Magic Johnson announcing he was HIV positive. I was in the 9th grade, and when my older brother told me, I thought he was lying. But then, we turned the TV to ESPN Sports Center, and I heard it for myself. This was the first time that I realized that superstars don't always make great role models.

The Iran Contra scandal. I don't remember really understanding much about this, but do remember hearing about it and Oliver North, and it being a big deal, at the time.

The Oklahoma City Bombing. I was in college, and I was worried because one of my co-workers had a lot of family in and around OKC. Luckily, all her family was okay...

Columbine. Again, I don't remember when exactly this occurred, or where I was when I heard about it.

The Fall of the Soviet Union. I don't know that I remember hearing Reagan saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," when it actually happened, but I now know how truly powerful that statement was, and how important Reagan's standing up to the Soviets was.

The World Trade Center. I remember the 2nd attack much more so than the 1st bombing. I remember where I was (I was teaching, and had gone to the office to get something from my box...a student was watching the news in the counselor's office and told me about it) and I remember being glued to Fox News Channel in all my spare time in the days to follow.

My Wedding. Okay, so not such an important moment in the history of most people's lives, but very important in my personal history.

And now, today. I am proud that our nation has overcome a past that was so horribly racist. I hope that finally, we can put that darkness in our past. I am sure that there will always be a few narrow-minded people, but as a whole, I think we have grown.

I am sure that there are tons of other historical moments that should have been included in this list, and I'm sure that as soon as I publish this post, that one or two more will pop right into my head. And I'm sure my husband will have a few suggestions, as well. But I'm going to leave this post as it is. These are the moments that first came to me. What would you add?