Where were you when <insert tragedy> happened?

cyberhog

When events like 9/11 are discussed in the media people are always asked where they were at the time of the event. Whether someone was climbing Mount Everest or at home sitting on the bog what is the interest in knowing where other people were at the time a tragic event occurred?

jive

So that on the off chance that you might speak to somebody who has an interesting tale. On 9/11, for example, I found myself on the roof on the WTC going for a cheeky base jump just before the first plane hit.

Jive 1 - 0 Terry Wrists

DEFTLEFTHAND

I was on a school bus in 2nd year when I heard about 9,11. My Dad climbed Everest with Russell Brice in 1984, 3 years before I was born.:)

Spread

Having a meal in a restaurant in Terenure.

later12

I was asleep in bed when my sister walked in and said "Michael Jackson is dead"

Thinking she said another man, my friend, whose surname is Jackson, I immediately said "what?!"

She said "Michael Jackson. He's dead"

I said 'So fucking what?"

She said "It's a big deal, like"

I said "No it's not"

That was the last we ever spoke of it. It really wasn't a big deal.

Buddinplant

was in double art in second year when we heard over the radio (great art teacher ) that something happened in new york, didn't figure out about the planes until i got home and the mother had the sky news on.

was in mass when we heard that princess diana died.

cant remember where i was when Mr jackson expired, i was more broken up about Patrick Swayze a couple of months later.

MagicSean

I was in accounting in sixth year when I got a text from my friend saying Muslims had attacked the USA. My mother then texted me to tell me the Arabs had invaded America and blown up the two towers.

I was driving home from work when I heard about jacko on the radio.

I was getting ready for school when I saw the story about Diana on the news.

I was in a hotel in Rome when the big earthquake struck nearby.

o1s1n

Maybe it's an indirect declaration of an alibi?

Really annoys me anyway.

Marty McFly

For 9/11 I was just at to arriving home after going on the hop from school knowing there would be no one at home, turned on the t.v and saw one of the towers burning and just as i sat down the 2nd plane came crashing in was in shock sat there for hours that day watching the t.v.

For the Henry infamous handball incident i was in the Stade De France watching the game, none of us could see what happened no big screens in the stadium. But word quickly came through as people were getting texts from back home all around.

W.Shakes-Beer

I was breathing when all tragedy's from 7/3/1990->now happened.

Think that covers most.

biko

When Bambi's mother died I was at home watching a video.

Tubsandtiles

I was at home when the 9/11 attacks happened, but I was too young to really know what was going on

kingtut

Buddinplant wrote: »

was in mass church when we heard that princess diana died.

FYP

Orando Broom

Seanbeag1 wrote: »

I was in accounting in sixth year when I got a text from my friend saying Muslims had attacked the USA. My mother then texted me to tell me the Arabs had invaded America and blown up the two towers.

I was driving home from work when I heard about jacko on the radio.

I was getting ready for school when I saw the story about Diana on the news.

I was in a hotel in Rome when the big earthquake struck nearby.

On a Sunday morning??

Everyone in Ireland was on their way out the door for mass when they heard Diana died.

mrsdewinter

I was at a support group meeting for people trying to remember where they were when Kennedy was shot

seamus

Orando Broom wrote: »

On a Sunday morning??

Everyone in Ireland was on their way out the door for mass when they heard Diana died.

I wasn't. It was midday and I'd just gotten out of bed

carfiosaoorl

I was at home when 9/11 happened. My ex was watching sky news and said "Jesus christ a plane just flew into the twin towers" and I said "Is that bad":o I still get slagged to this day.

MagicSean

Orando Broom wrote: »

On a Sunday morning??

Everyone in Ireland was on their way out the door for mass when they heard Diana died.

Interesting. So either I slept for most of Sunday or watched coverage until the following morning. Childhood memories can be so confusing.

snowman707

I was driving , chatting to my friend (hands free) in Vermont, with the jeep radio on in the background, when the news flash broke


he learned about 9/11 from me, we often reflect on that day when we chat.

foxyboxer

later10 wrote: »

I was asleep in bed when my sister walked in and said "Michael Jackson is dead"

Thinking she said another man, my friend, whose surname is Jackson, I immediately said "what?!"

She said "Michael Jackson. He's dead"

I said 'So fucking what?"

She said "It's a big deal, like"

I said "No it's not"

That was the last we ever spoke of it. It really wasn't a big deal.

Phone rings.
"Michael Jackson died!!"
"Eh..so what, is he related to us or something??" :rolleyes:

Tzetze

I was at my desk when boards 404'd. Will never forget it

McCrack

On an exercise bike in the gym and sky news was on, I watched the second plane hit and it just didn't dawn on me at that moment what I was actually seeing. It wasn't until I got home and watched the aftermath that the enormity of it all hit me.

antodeco

I was flying my lifesize self made remote control plane in a Phildadelphia at the time of 9/11

pebbles21

I was driving a Fiat Uno through a tunnel in Paris,heard a big bang while i was looking for a radio station....eventually when i got a station i heard about Princess Di

stovelid

It's usually done to provoke a discussion between large groups of people based on shared experience or memory.

They do it on discussion forums a lot for some weird reason.

jonnyfingers

I was in New York in 2006 when a baseball player crashed his plane into one of the buildings. Everyone thought "Terrorists!"

I was in London, also in 2006 I think, when I walked past a car that an hour later was found with a bomb in it. Everyone thought "Terrorists!"

I was taking the Eurostar from London to Paris a few years ago when the tunnel caught on fire. Some people thought "Terrorists!"

I was on the East Coast of the USA when the earthquake hit last month. Some stupid people thought "Terrorists!"


Anyone seeing a pattern here?

kingtut

jonnyfingers wrote: »

Anyone seeing a pattern here?

You start every sentence with "I was"

jonnyfingers

kingtut wrote: »

You start every sentence with "I was"

I'll have to give you that one. Fair play.

py2006

I remember waking up in the middle of the night for not apparent reason. I had the urge to switch on the tv and watched for a couple mins then...BREAKING NEWS...Diana was involved in a car crash.

newtoboards

People ask because its a blindside moment that catches you. For the Omagh bombing I was washing the floor at home with the radio on in the background. For 9/11 I was in Arthurs Quay in Limerick and saw it on the reply there. For the tsunami in the Indian ocean I was eating a mighty fine ham sandwich which I nearly choked on. For Michael Jackson I was on my way to my desk in work when my manager told me - I remember this because she had tears in her eyes which I found absurd.

Apanachi

Lady Diana's Death - On a spa holiday in the Black Forest, I couldn't sleep that night and had the radio on and they broadcast a news flash about the accident in Paris and that Dodi was dead, at this stage Diana was still at the scene of the accident and was still alive, a while later they broadcast an update that she had died in the hospital
9/11 - At school (apprenticeship) arrived home to hear a message from husband on the answering machine, he was at work (working at a place where the German politicians hold conferences and parties) he had heard "something" had happened in USA, and all the high rank politicians were in a tizzy but the staff were getting no information he and told me to turn on the TV when I got home and he'd ring me later to find out what happened, I watched it and it took me a few minutes to realise that actually happened - I think if I hadn't have got the call from him, I would have thought it was a film or something

London bombings At work listening to online Irish radio

Michael Jackon's death - at a Pet Shop Boys concert (hey, I won the tickets!!!)

py2006

newtoboards wrote: »

For Michael Jackson I was on my way to my desk in work when my manager told me - I remember this because she had tears in her eyes which I found absurd.

In fairness he had a lot of devoted fans, it was similar to the death of Elvis in terms of fan reaction.

smash

cyberhog wrote: »

what is the interest in knowing where other people were at the time a tragic event occurred?

It's to prove a point of how big it was, how much it has effected the whole world. I don't know anyone who doesn't remember where they were when it happened.

skylight1987

for 9 11 i was reading in the kitchen when the guy on the radio said a plane has crashed into the twin towers , i wasnt that interested and continued reading then he came on again about the second plane so i ran out to put on sky news and watched the rest unfolding live with my newborn baby in my arms. for both diana and micheal jackson i was in bed

FloatingVoter

py2006 wrote: »

In fairness he had a lot of devoted fans, it was similar to the "death" of Elvis in terms of fan reaction.

Fixt;)

pebbles21

jonnyfingers wrote: »

I was in New York in 2006 when a baseball player crashed his plane into one of the buildings. Everyone thought "Terrorists!"

I was in London, also in 2006 I think, when I walked past a car that an hour later was found with a bomb in it. Everyone thought "Terrorists!"

I was taking the Eurostar from London to Paris a few years ago when the tunnel caught on fire. Some people thought "Terrorists!"

I was on the East Coast of the USA when the earthquake hit last month. Some stupid people thought "Terrorists!"


Anyone seeing a pattern here?

Yes your a fcuking jinx!!

Acoshla

I was on the way to the airport with my then boyfriend who was moving to London and flying into Heathrow when I heard about the planes hitting the WTC. Everyone flying to Heathrow was a bit freaked that something might happen a plane going to London, stressful few hours waiting for them to land.

Went back to his mum's house with them after we dropped him off, was sitting watching Sky News as the second tower fell. I was 16 and hadn't heard much about the WTC before that, took a few minutes to realise that there had been two towers a few hours earlier, I was thinking "What do they mean the second tower fell, sure there was only one standing there" :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I was in Time Square when Michael Jackson died. It was surreal - there were people out in the streets with banners and signs, with one or two people looking shellshocked. There were news crews out filming people's reactions.

Karona

I was in school when i heard about the WTC.
In my aunt's house on St. Stephen's Day when the tsunami hit Thailand.
For Michael Jackson's death I was out in a pub for my friends birthday.

enniscorthy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkLC2mj5wvE

parker kent

When I found out about <Insert Event Here>, I was probably sitting on the same sofa I was sitting on when I found out about every other major event.

goose2005

In the billiard room with the lead piping.

parker kent

goose2005 wrote: »

In the billiard room with the lead piping.

In other words, having a ****?

Shivers26

Its interesting that Michael Jackson's death is mentioned with as much relevance as 9/11

I know I was at home when the MJ story was released and I actually saw it first online and then watched a bit on Sky news but it meant very little to me to be honest.

When news of 9/11 broke I was in town (Dublin) with my friend shopping for accessories for our Debs. I remember we were standing in the Usit office on the quays watching the news on their tv's. Its just weird that what would have been a fairly irrelevant day is forever committed to memory because of something else that happened that day <

---

not explaining myself very well here.

In work when the London bombings happened. That was a scary one because I had loads of work colleagues based in London and it was tense waiting to hear where they all ok because so many people travel by tube in London

FlutterinBantam

I was sitting on the pot gently trying to persuade a recalcitrant baton round to

exit when my Ma burst in, wide eyed,to say 'Joe Jacob is after been

arse-reamed by Marian Finucane'

"Jaysus Ma ,I'm having a fcuking crap here" I said, trying to hide my manhood

and in the fcuking effort, releasing a stultifying watery fart which fogged the

privy up.

Undaunted she continued,"The cunt has put Joe to the fcuking sword, fcuker

doesn't know whether to laugh or fart, it's on the fcuking wireless".

At this point I sledged a whip of sludgy shite into the pot

and said"Ma will you fuck off till I clear me guts,if this is that important ring

some cunt in Wickla County Council who can advise on

disaster management.. I'm having a fcuking shite here!!!"


Never forget it:mad:

4leto

I was in a grassy knoll when Kennedy got shot.

GAAman

Orando Broom wrote: »

On a Sunday morning??

Everyone in Ireland was on their way out the door for mass when they heard Diana died.

Not me, i was in my bead snoring when the news broke. Was exhausted from the journey back from Paris, i was in that same tunnel the night before it happened :eek:

mattjack

4leto wrote: »

I was in a grassy knoll when Kennedy got shot.

In or on the grassy knoll ?

bnt

When the Southall Rail Crash happened, I was on the way out of the office where I was working in Reading, to catch a train back to London. I had planned to leave an hour earlier (1/2 day Friday), but got caught up in some work - otherwise I would have been on the train that crashed. To be fair: I normally sat at the back of that train, so I would probably have escaped serious injury, but it's still not something you want to experience ... :eek:

Wattle

I was behind the door in a pool of blood. I got better later.

parker kent

GAAman wrote: »

Not me, i was in my bead snoring when the news broke. Was exhausted from the journey back from Paris, i was in that same tunnel the night before it happened :eek:

I was in bed too, my father left a cup of tea beside me and said Diana is dead. I presumed he meant the old lady called Diana that lived across the road.

Plus she died in the middle of the night, so plenty would have found out coming back from a Saturday night out.