I cannot think of Nov. 22 without remembering JFK’s assassination. Nov. 22 means nothing to my husband because he was born in 1960 and has no memory of JFK’s death in 1963 (I imagine President-elect Obama, born in 1961, also has no memory of this day).
But history is full of days like this. Where were you when Pearl Harbor was attacked (before my time)? Where were you when the Challenger space shuttle blew up? Where were you on 9-11-2001?
And we all have events that might not seem as momentous in the panorama of history but are personally meaningful or shattering. Where were you when John Lennon was murdered? What were you doing when Princess Diana was killed?
Our stories of these events bind us together as a people as we recall the common experience of national and human tragedy. Interestingly, it’s harder to recall stories of events that reflect national joy. Perhaps great Olympic victories that stoke national pride, such as Michael Phelps’ record-breaking 8 gold medals this year? For me, Nov. 4, 2008, provides joyful stories that I will recall for the rest of my life.
What stories do you recall that are prompted by the historical experiences you lived through?
<
JFK's assassination also was a defining event for me. I was in second grade in a Catholic school. The nuns were so distraught that school was dismissed early. It seemed as though a week of mourning followed within my family and among our friends.
I think my intense interest in politics was seeded by that event. In 1968, only 12 years old, I went to see Bobby Kennedy speak during a campaign swing through Denver. Two weeks later, he was killed. My mother awoke me before the sun came up to tell me Bobby was gravely injured. We went to Mass, and it was there we learned he had not survived.
The news of Martin Luther King's murder came over the radio while my Dad was waiting at a stop sign to make a turn onto a busy street. He was so distracted that we almost were broadsided by an oncoming car.
I think that chaotic year of 1968, I learned about mortality. I think I learned that the grownups didn't really have it all under control.
These intense memories are called flashbulb memories and result from a biological change that occurs when we feel intense emotion; it's the same change that prepares us for flight or fight. As I understand it adrenaline floods into our bloodstream at these times and enhances our memories. It's a useful biological adaptation because after being frightened when you find yourself in front of a sabre-tooth tiger den it's helpful to remember exactly where it was.
And because stories convey information in context and with emotion they an create a similar memorable event.
A couple of flashbulb memories for me are:
- the attack on the World Towers-I was sitting in Canberra alone in my lounge room watching West Wing late at night and the news flashes started.
- hearing Elvis had died--I was in the backseat with my parents driving past Lake George on the way to a holiday up north
Thanks so much, Steve and Shawn, for sharing these.
Steve, you must be a little younger than I am. I was in 4th grade, and our overpopulated school was on split sessions (as often happened as we Boomers grew up). So, unlike many of my generation who heard the news while in school, I had gotten out of school before noon and heard the news from some workmen at our home (they had something to do with windows -- washing or installing). Unlike others my age, I saw Walter Cronkite tearfully announce that JFK had died.
Shawn, I can't help noticing that both of the flashbulb memories you cite are "American" or at least occurred in the U.S. Are there comparable Australian flashbulb memories?