Kix

Something someone said on another thread made me think of where I was at some significant points in history.

Except the only two I can think off are as follows.

9/11 - I was in Canary Wharf Tower (London City Airport is very close), looked out the window and saw a plane heading my way, nearly crapped meself!

And on a similar point

Lady Di dying - was sat on the bog when the ex shouted upstairs.

Can't think of any other significant happenings...

OriginalSunshine

9/11 - Portugal, hiking. Didnt understand the local news when we got back to the hostel but the scrolls were saying 30,000 dead
7/7 - Malaysia, listening on the radio, driving home
Lady Di - also on the bog! again heard on the radio.

Kix

Oh, 1993 Nat West Tower bomb, was working about a mile away in a basement, the place shook.

OleJanx

9/11 - returning from an alcoholic afternoon in Peterborough.
Princess Di - In Doha. The conspiracy rumours started about 20 minutes (ha!) after the first breaking news.
7/7 - watching the first news breaking, and thinking 'Oh, a bus has hit a bridge. That's not too clever.'

Autonomy

Got a call from my mate that had only just left our apartment in DXB a few days before on route to Galle in Sri Lanka. He'd been washed out of his place there by a huge freak wave. Him and 100's of others were on a hill, he was calling from his mobile that was running out of juice and I was the only contact they had to the outside world.

I'll never forget telling him and the others to stay there and not to return to the shore area as I kept checking the news sites as the scale of the devastation started to mount.

Thankfully they were fine, but 250,000 people died that day or in the days after.

hnd

When JFK was killed I was in Scotland as a child but remember my parents being really shocked

When man first landed on the moon Mrhnd was at an army camp in Cultybraggan - anybody know where that is? I was at home in Bushey Heath and my parents woke me and my sisters up to see the 'live' broadcast

When Di died was in Sussex - woke up and put the radio on, heard the news and put the TV on

The Falklands War - still in Sussex in April 1982 - and remember watching Max Hastings' reports. He was probably the first embedded journalist/reporter. His reports were really shocking and graphic for the time.

The hurricane in the UK 15/16 October 1987. Still in Sussex and had no water for 10 days and no electricity for four or five days. Thank heaven for our open fire in the sitting room and the wood burner in the dining room. Couldn't get out of our drive for two days or out of the village for four days. Mrhnd tried to call London and the exchanges were down but managed to call the Tokyo office because our phone line remained in place and they managed to explain why he wouldn't be in to work.

Can't remember which year but it was when the IRA detonated a bomb at the Ideal Home Exhibition in London - we'd left about ten minutes before and were on a bus up to the West End to go to the cinema (some film with Diana Ross I seem to recall), had a meal afterwards and got home around 11pm. The phone went and we immediately thought there had been some kind of family tragedy. Not so - our families had known of our plans to visit the IDH Exhibition and when they couldn't get hold of us (long before the days of mobile phones) they just kept on calling. We'd seen ambulances and fire engines passing us on the way but hadn't thought too much about it.

9/11 - again in Sussex but Mrhnd was in the City. He phoned me and said 'turn on the TV'. Horrific - especially for him as his company had open phones to several companies in NYC and everyone in his office could hear the screams.

7/7 - had just moved to Dubai. Ironic, everyone was so worried about us moving to the Middle East and was telling us how dangerous it would be.

We seem to be quite a bit older than some of you - oh dear. And our memories are nothing like as good as they were otherwise we may have added a few other bits to this post!

flares

9/11 - at work in Brighton, sat in the conference room all afternoon watching proceedings on box
7/7 - Eden Project, Cornwall week before came out to ME
Lady Di - nightclub!!

Patsy Stoned

I have all the same memories as you for all these events..different places obviously
I will always remember sitting with my parents watching the moon landing on our very small black and white tv
I had just got back from holiday when the hurricane hit, I slept through the whole thing..jet lagged from the flight from Canada

OriginalSunshine

hurricane - I was in Sussex too (although as a teenager )
tsunami - in Borneo Malaysia - first I heard was everyone phoning me up on boxing day with a huge hangover to ask if we were ok. TV wasnt working as the satellite couldnt get a signal through the clouds

Jim Smith

Marilyn Munro (Sp?) died. Was listening on news on my radio at cinema in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands before film began!

JFK Again FI. Was demonstrating my ham radio station to a friend when we heard a ham in Texas watching local TV say "The President has been shot"! This after returning from my peat bog cutting peat!

First men on the moon. Feeling dreadful with the flu listening to a shortwave radio in FI,

9/11. Dubai. Browsing the net and something lashed up to say first plane had gone in. Turned on TV to see the second actually happen.

britexpat76

9/11 having a boozy lunch in Bradford followed by drinking in the Dry dock in leeds as they collapsed.......

7/7 at work

Princess Di was the last night I spent with my 1st love and fiance. Bumped into her in town (Leeds) after we had split, she came to my place and we sat on sofa watching it all unfold........

Victor Meldrew

Bobby Kennedy being assassinated - playing outside our house and heard the adults talking about it when (I presume) it had just coome on the news

Moon landing - in our apartment. It was on the b+w TV, but I recall it was a schoolday and we had to go to bed before the actual landing

John Lennon - in the kitchen. I heard it on the radio.

9/11 - waiting on the tennis court in our (Riyadh) compound. The bloke I was due to play tennis against was late. He shouted down from his apartment window 'afraid tennis is off.... come and watch the news'

Saddam Hussein being found - we were having our end of term dinner (Riyadh again) when the school registrar came in, whispered something into the Principal's ear (ooeerr missis) and he announced that Saddam had been found

Lady Di - in the kitchen, didn't have the news on. The lodger came down and asked if I had heard the news.......

Can't think of any more at the moment

TGFKASE

9/11 - Glasgow, packing my bag for a flight to Saudi, which, needless to say, didn't happen.

Al Khobar Compound Attack - Schipohl Airport, having just got off a plane from Saudi. My compound, Eurovillage, was only couple of hundred meters away from the compound attacked.

Tsunami - Schipohl Airport, having just got off a plane from Saudi.

I'm starting to see a connection......

jackthehat

Winter 1962/1963
Earliest memories of being 'Snowed-In!' – No school, as there was a 7 Ft Snow Drift at the end of the street. No electricity for a few days either. Coal Fires, Paraffin Lamps and Candles! Lots of neighbours, and relatives coming and going, with Hot Soup, etc – Doubt if that would happen now?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bT5zlj_usY

JFK Assassination 22 November 1963
I was just a kid at the time. Heard the news break on the 'Wireless' BBC Home Service. I can remember my parents were very upset at the time.

Last Executions in the UK 13 August 1964
Heard it on the Radio News – Always sticks in my mind, as there were two, in different locations. We were in Colwyn Bay on holiday at the time.

Churchill's Funeral 30 January 1965
We got our first television, delivered that morning. It was the first thing I had seen on television at home. Prior to that, I had been hiding behind to sofa at my grandparent's house on Saturday afternoons, watching Dr Who! – William Hartnell.

Martin Luther King Assassinated 04 April 1968
Radio News

Robert Kennedy Assassinated 06 June 1968
Radio News

First Man on the Moon 20 July 1969
Allowed to stay up late to watch the Moon Landing.

Decimalisation 15 February 1971
I can always remember a precocious child called 'Sebastian' who would appear every morning on the Today Programme (Radio 4) with Jack de Manio.

Munich Olympics Massacre 06 September 1972
Heard it on the Today Programme, before I went to school. First day back, after the Summer Holidays – No Jewish boys at school for a few days.

Birmingham Pub Bombings 21 November 1974
I was working in the Rotunda when the bomb went off downstairs. Had to walk home 15 miles. The traffic was stationary for miles. Mum was frantic! – Back when we had no Mobile Phones! Nevertheless we coped with things!

HMS Sheffield Missile Attack 04 May 1982
Listening to the 'Official Report' on the evening news, by the Government Spokesman, who seemed to speak in 'Braille.' Was it Ian McDonald?

Hungerford Murders, Michael Ryan 19 August 1987
I lived near Hungerford at the time, but was away on business in The Midlands. I could not get in touch with my wife as the telephone lines were all jammed to the area. My son was only a few months old at the time. I got in the car and drove back home.

Lockerbie Bombing 21 December 1988
I had just moved house that day. Switched-on the television for the news, as it was just being reported.

Margaret Thatcher Resigns 22 November 1990
RAF Cosford Hospital, Shropshire (Just come round from Surgery). That was the first thing that the nurse told me! – Before telling me that the operation had gone well!

Princess Diana 31 August 1997
Salahuddin Road, Dubai. Heard the news on BBC World Service on the way into work. Called UK and no one would believe me! – Until they switched on the radio.

Diana's Funeral 06 September 1997
Doha Airport (Visa Flight Delayed) I will always remember a small group of people watching the television in the Departure Lounge, and the smell coming through from the toilets! – This was before the airport was redeveloped. Stepping from the aeroplane steps (no airbridges then), there would be a Qatari Policeman with a Machine Gun!

Twin Towers 11 September 2001
Working in Kendah House, Sheikh Zayed Road. Watched the television in the foyer of the building. It was packed! CNN and Fox were the only Channels broadcasting, and they were almost 'Hysterical.' BBC World did not cover the story until early evening in Dubai. I drove to Muscat early the following morning. By the time I had returned in the evening, my US neighbours had left.

London Bombing 07 July 2005
Working in Emarat Atrium, Sheikh Zayed Road, at the time. I watched the news unfold in the coffee shop. Initial reports blamed the IRA!

Maguindanao Massacre 23 November 2009
I was in The Philippines on Holiday (Mindanao), out in the country with Mrs Hat & Kids. We got picked-up by the army who took us to the nearest town, in a truck. We had been in the area for a few days, but had no radio, television, nor telephone reception, so were out of touch. Strangely three years on, nothing seems to have happened with the perpetrators.

hnd

jackthehat - Yes, it was Ian McDonald. My, you have a good memory!