What was the first big news story that caught your attention when you were young!

Cheshire Cat

infogiver wrote: »

Oh yes absolutely terrifying.
Also the Munich Olympics hostage horror in 1972. My mother was and is and I am too a glutton for news.

I remember Munich, too. Was almost 6 at the time. We had been given a toy Olympic Stadium by our grandparents and I had the mascot, a Dachshound whose body consisted of the Olympic rings. I remember the big excitement and pride in having the games in Germany and then the upset and horror at what unfolded.
I think it was the first time I realised that people outside of fairytales could be truly evil.

Salmon Leap

Water John wrote: »

Tiede Hederman?

That was Dr Tiede Herrema. As far as I remember he was kidnapped by Eddie Gallagher & Marian Coyle. Ended with a siege in a house in Monasterevin IRRC.

racso1975

Philip Cairns.

Richard Hillman

The Russian coup d'etat in 1991. I was quite young at the time and didn't realise the significance but it must have been a very scary time for the world.

The Bosnian and Gulf War too.

It is probably the stem of why I am so interested in global conflicts, war and history. I was watching the News at Ten with Trevor McDonald before I was watching Match of the Day with Des Lynam :pac:

eviltwin

Lockerbie bombing

Shannon757

The global financial crash in 08.

I'm a lot younger than you guys

Tell me how

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster in 1986 - I was 7.
Remember being amazed because it was the first newsflash I saw where regular programming was interrupted with a news program.

I can also recall hearing about the Lockerbie disaster in 88. It happened in December and there was pretty strong storms the day the news broke. I remember being nervous every time I heard the wind get very loud that it was the sound of a plane crashing.

Mint Sauce

Off the top of my head, sporting events wise would have been Mexico 86, I knew there was a big football tournament going on, but that would have been about it. News wise, the Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster in 1987, the capsizing of the Herald of Free Enterprise, after its bow doors were not securely closed.

fuzzydunlop85

Eric Cantona retiring from football, must have been about 10 or 11. Heard it on the radio in the back of the auld mans car and burst into tears. Remember he took me to supermacs to cheer me up!

Water John

Shannon, your a chisler.

MilesMorales1

I kind of remember 9/11 (I would have been 8) but not specifically. Mainly cos there was no proper tv, it was all news and I was annoyed about it.

James 007

The Kerry babies, Don Tidey, The border Fox, Shergar

IvySlayer

Youngest I can remember is Princess Diana car crash

ChikiChiki

Princess Diana death was the first big one. Didn't really know who she was at that point but I remember mother and auntie making a big fuss about it.

Edit @ivyslayer snap!

Grayson

Hunger strikes, Falklands war and a ship sinking in Portugal.

When I was a kid I was on a bus back from Dublin with my Dad and the woman sitting next to use asked me if I knew who the man in the billboard was. I said it was Bobby Sands. It was Charlie Haughey. I think I was 5 at the time.

I also remember waiting for the school bus one morning when I was about the same age. My mum was talking to a neighbour and they were saying the school bus was always late. I said "I blame the common market".

I might have been a precocious kid.

Shannon757

Water John wrote: »

Shannon, your a chisler.

I'm like a baby compared to some on here :eek:

knucklehead6

I remember the olympics in '84. The Falklands War in '82.

But the first one that actually grabbed my attention was the Challenger disaster in '86, probably cos I had seen her in the flesh as it were and thought of it as 'my shuttle'

Grayson

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

I kind of remember 9/11 (I would have been 8) but not specifically. Mainly cos there was no proper tv, it was all news and I was annoyed about it.

Jesus I'm old. I watched that in a pub. We only had a tiny TV in the house and about an hour in I said fcuk it, I need a better TV.


I was chatting with a friend today. She's 10 years younger than me and she can't remember the troubles. The university I was in was closed down one day because of a bomb threat. I remember a security guard checking my bag in the Virgin megastore. It's strange how much difference 10 years can make.

The Yorkshire ripper, i was only born when he started but i lived there so heard about him all the time until his arrest in 81/82
Also the tidey kidnap, i watched that on the news in England

Oh, & the miners strikes, they were big news

infogiver

FizzleSticks wrote: »

You don't have to justify yourself, I just always find people's memories of 9/11 interesting. Great thread on it here also.

I didn't take a lot in from watching the news coverage, it was only later that week when a paper lying about had a 10 page spread on it then I remembered looking through it and the magnitude of the whole event started to sink in, it made more sense how all the adults around me were acting that day.

My only child had started school the day previous. I'd collected her from school that day and was in the car when Joe Duffy interrupted his show with the breaking news. It was unfathomable.

Wanderer2010

The coverage of the trial of the below, Rose West, was the first time I had seen reports on the news of a serial killer, the first time hearing about torture and bodies being raped and mutilated but I think what horrified my innocent mind most was that this ordinary looking, dowdy woman was the one accused of 10 murders, including her 2 daughters. I remember they did a whole week of documentaries on the worst female serial killer of modern times for a while after the verdict. Ill never forget the images, the reports and the victims. Chilling.

prinzeugen

Polmont train crash in 1984.. Only because I was on it.

The one that struck home though was Hillsborough. My uncle was at the game in the Liverpool end. Remember the frantic phone calls from my mum,aunts and gran and grandad trying to get info.

About 10pm he phoned to say he was safe. He explained that he didn't want to use the phone as there were others that needed to use them more than him and he had gone to the local hospital with a few others to donate blood.

We all remember the "Big stories" from when we were younger as we dont have the 24/7 news coverage that we do now.

Everytime a leader farts is "breaking news" now.

When I was a youngster, a big news story was one that got regular TV shows stopped for a "News Flash". Last time I recall that happening was the Queen Mother dying.

Cupcake_Crisis

Princess Diana would be the first I have any real memory of.

I remember coming home from school, would have been in 1st year, and watching the coverage of 9/11 on the telly with my mam.

arybvtcw0eolkf

CoolHandBandit wrote: »

Vietnam war reports.

Same here. I remember wondering why the Americans were refusing to let people onto their helicopters and why helicopters were being pushed overboard from an aircraft carrier.

We were witnessing the end of the Vietnam war.

Not a news report as such (thankfully) but drills on TV as to what actions to take in the event of a nuclear war.

Samsgirl

A local boy in Waterford was murdered in 80's. He was slightly younger than myself and my friends. Can remember seeing the local estate on the news and then the courthouse.

RonanP77

Shergar was the first I remember, I would've been 5 or 6 at the time.

soap1978

Gulf war

gabsdot40

I lived near Birmingham as a child in the 1970s. There was a terrible murder and the murderer was nicknamed the Black Panther.
I didn't know much about the murder but the name gave me nightmares.

Sam Kade

infogiver wrote: »

I'm 52 and born in 1965 and distinctly remember my mother lifting me into her arms to point out the moon "where the men went in a space ship" for Apollo 11 and back out to the garden again to ask God to bring Apollo 13 safely

I was born in 1964 and the troubles in the north was the big story I remember, we all thought we were doomed. This thread makes me feel old when 25 year olds barely remember 9/11

Cee-Jay-Cee

Elvis death back in 1977