What is the first major news story that you can remember

The violence directed at black American students at the start of the de-segregation of schools in the US.

The Profumo affair

Aberfan.

The assassination of Kennedy

Biafran war

(probably all in the wrong date order)

Either I was acutely unaware or ... just born a lot later but the first real major news story I can remember was the death of Elvis Presley in 1977 . I was 15 years old .

I do remember putting money in envelopes for the babies in Africa. Without cheating and looking at google I couldn't say any more.

Aren`t some of you young? I was 26 and married for 6 years at the time of the moon landing!

My father telling me the war was over. We had a street victory party soon afterwards.
Sugar coming off ration
Prince Charles being born and being given quite a few names
Aberfan, of course
Canvey Island flooding, when 60 people died
Most of the other events already mentioned

I can vaguely remember the moon landing, I think.

I remember a dog being sent into space and Yuri Gagarin,I remember in 1960 the teacher asking us what we thought we'd be doing in the year 2000,we thought that was so funny as it was such a long time away...alas it arrived quicker than expected now it seems a long time ago.I was married in 75 and running a business by the next year .If youd asked ME when Elvis died I couldn't have told you.It seemed to have passed me by.

I can remember going to a hall and watching the coronation on a small television, the children sitting on the floor at the front.
I was just four years old, and my sister was three months. I bet she can't remember it!

I remember learning about Aberfan when we were all in the school lunch hall. I guess a teacher must have come in to tell us. I recall looking around at everyone doing the normal lunchtime things and thinking about the poor children who would never do that again.

My mother tried to protect us from the Moors murders. She was reading the paper one day and didn't hear me come into the kitchen. When she realised I was there she frantically tried to cover up what she had been looking at. I have to admit, I was terrified by the Moors murders, it chilled my young blood.

Aberfan, Moon Walk and 1966 World Cup

The Great Train Robbery. I was convinced Ronnie Biggs was hiding in our garden shed.

Then the Moors murders. Couldn't believe that such evil existed.

South Africa voting to become a Republic, I was 11.

My Aunt could remember the relief of Mafeking. She talked about people cheering in the streets.

My father could remember the sinking of the Titanic and the outbreak of the First World War, when he was I think 5 and 7. Once we start on what our relations could remember we’ll be well into history!

I remember the death announcement ofKing George.
My DIL's grandfather was an officer in the army in the first world war, incredible, he was older than my DH's grandmother.

I was seven years old and feeling very grown up, as I was having having lunch with my father who worked in London.
As we crossed London Bridge, I have a vivid memory of someone shouting by a billboard...”President Kennedy has been shot”.

This will date me but I remember seeing the front page of the newspaper covering the death of Queen Mary. I was 3 and a half. Then like others here, the Coronation, Everest, Suez. And the Busby Babes. My parents always discussed politics in front of us so I was aware of a lot that was going on.
Last time we were at Chartwell we we watched a video of Churchill’s funeral and I was talking to a young family and explaining how the whole country came to a standstill on that Saturday. You would have thought I was describing the execution of Anne Boleyn. The little boy said ‘were you alive then?’

Definitely the death of George VI. We were not permitted to read newspapers or listen to the news at home and had no TV but I was at school and the nuns called the whole school into the hall to announce it. We were told it was a great tragedy but I had little idea about the monarchy and it was just confusing to a 10 year old. The coronation the following year was exciting though and we were taken to a neighbour to watch on their minuscule TV but the best bit was a book we were given with a press out card coronation procession to be assembled, coaches, soldiers and lots of horses. It kept me and one of my brothers busy for weeks.

The death of winston Churchill

merlotgran I was also five at the time and remember asking my mother why there was only solemn music on the radio, and she replied 'Because the King has died'.

The Coronation, Suez, Munich.

The Coronation
And, living in a small island state, the photo of the last man to be hanged. I must have been about 7. Not major in the sense you mean, it was major for the country.

The Coronation. I watched it on my (rich) great aunt's TV. I was 3.

The death of King Gorge VI - thick, black edges round all the broadsheets.

I remember the day the last woman was hanged in England. There was an atmosphere at home. Mum was very quiet and kept looking at the clock. She then told me what was going to happen at a certain time. I must have been very young. I wonder why she told me.