h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Paul, I was referring to a little volcanic thing in the north-west of your country

I know what you meant. It would be bad news to live within thirty miles of that thing

Eerily apropos article in The Onion today.

“I distinctly remember my dad and I sitting in front of the living room TV as we watched Gandalf fall—I remember just staring in total shock,”



http://entertainment.theonion.com/poll-majority-of-americans-still-remember-where-they-w-1819579246

The Fall of Gandalf was followed by the Winter of Gandalf and the Spring of Gandalf.

The biggest thing that I remember was the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. I lived in Portland with my dad. My mom lived in the suburbs of Vancouver, Washington. It as an ongoing event that unfolded over a month or so. I remember the ash on the ground, and the news about some guy who refused to evacuate. On May 18th, my dad and I went canoeing on the Columbia River. The sky to the north was like a huge wall of ash. It was like a curtain of gray. Later, my mom and her husband took me up to see the blasted gray landscape up on the mountain. It made an impression.

I remember some of the news events too. There was the election day when President Reagan was voted. I have a very strong memory of being in the school library that day. I remember that I recalled Carter's election at the time, although I don't recall it now. I also remember the Challenger disaster. I went to school briefly that day, but I skipped most of the day.

Those are the ones that stick out in my mind.

Welcome back, Two Bit!

I hope we see you again before long.

Idle times around the holidays draw me back here.

Hi everyone. The only other social media site I frequent is Gransnet and this very question has popped up on there recently.

I think the first thing I remember being a really serious piece of news was the Aberfan disaster.

However, I clearly remember the moon landings, the World Cup final of 1966, and Woodstock (not that I was there, of course, I was 15 at the time, and preparing for my O levels)

I find it hard to get my head round 9-11 and the fall of the Berlin Wall being called history.

The Falklands war also springs to mind. However, I was already living in Germany then and only had German radio and TV coverage which was VERY different from what the BBC reported.

To get back to Maria's original question - I had already left Spain when Franco died, but I do remember the revolution in Portugal in April 1974 which was, of course, all over Spanish TV. Much of the reporting was left in the Portuguese, without even Spanish subtitles, so I couldn't really understand it, as I was still only learning Spanish.

Yes, but Franco is still dead.

Oh lordy! Aberfan!

I was in school and I suppose about the same age as the children who died in the school. Yes. I remember that.

I seem to remember my mother being really sad - I suppose because of my age.

I saw a documentary about it a year or so ago and it all seemed so sad all over again.

PP.

This would have been it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04blwh3

The whole programme not currently available but there is one clip from it.

PP.

A517673

from pathe http://www.britishpathe.com/video/this-is-tragedy

I remember when that shuttle blew up in early 1986. I also remember some tasteless jokes that people made about it later. There were also tasteless jokes after Princess Di died. Disasters bring out the gallows humor. Positive events not so much.

I'll never forget the day of Princess Diana's death. For some reason I switched on the television in the middle of the morning - something I would never usually do - and there it all was. Uncanny.

The Challenger shuttle disaster was a little personal for us. I was in sixth form at the time and our head of the sixth form was a friend of the teacher who died on it.
She had given us a talk in School on being an astronaut the year before - that was very sad.

What can I remember.

Early childhood - power cuts and candles (must have been the 70s coal strikes and stuff).
Elvis dying

Thatcher being voted in.

Falklands war.

Miner's strike 1984

Watching Live Aid on telly. Queen blew everyone off stage

The 1987 storm I remember but that's starting to push not being a child anymore (does 16 still count as child? Suppose so from a much more aged perspective now).

Oh yeah (backlog-tactic) - death of John Lennon too.

Strangely, I recall exactly where I was when Michael Jackson died.

Not because of any adulation or anything, just that it was such big news. Plus I was on holiday in Rome at the time - that sort of thing kind of helps.

Princess Diana is dead....? Noooooooooooooo!

(latter 3 I *really* can't say these were childhood memories - I wish)

What do Farrah Fawcett and Groucho Marx have in common?




Both of their deaths were overshadowed by other celebrity deaths. Farrah Fawcett died the same day as Micheal Jackson, Groucho Marx died in the shadow of Elvis' death.

I didn't even know Farrah Fawcett had died

I had it in my memory that Stan Laurel had died the same day as Elvis

But... I watched a documentary on Laurel and Hardy the other day and found out this was wrong (he died in 1967). This confused me massively as I was SURE about this.

I do believe you have just solved that little mystery.