Earliest Memory of Seminal News

JFK, I was 7, but the only news I was interested in watching was about The Beatles.

The King ,George VI dying, my mum cried and I thought he must be my granddad!

The Hungarian uprising seeing a photo of refugees fleeing across the border through ditches and burned wire. I wasn’t quite 9 years old.

Not quite so seminal but after the scriptwriters killed Grace Archer, a full page centre spread photo of a carpet of “sympathy” flowers. Did I imagine that? Or does anyone else remember that image?

“barbed” wire not “burned"

As well as some of the events already mentioned I can distinctly remember the Profumo affair. My straight laced mother kept muttering how disgusting the whole thing was but I was fascinated. I had an aunt who always bought "The News of the World" so I started visiting every Sunday just to read the juicy details.

Many of the thing of the sixties that people have said. I can remember the start of the Six day war 1967 I think between Israel and Arab states

The news on the wireless of the death of King George VI - I was 6. My parents and my Nan who lived with us were all in tears.

Death of Pope Pious xii, 1958. We were sent home from school early! I was 6.

I think it would have to be the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 77, I was 9.
There's probably something earlier than that but there's nothing else coming to mind

DeeJaysMum

I think it would have to be the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 77, I was 9.
There's probably something earlier than that but there's nothing else coming to mind

That's made me feel very old 😁

My father came into the back of our Australian delicatessen, ashen faced and said, ‘They’ve killed Kennedy.’ I was about five.

Sitting in the front seat between my parents listening to the car radio. No seatbelts. Heard about the Rosenbergs being spies and atomic secrets. I was probably 4 or 5 and it made me afraid whenever I heard a plane thinking we would be bombed.

Aberfan because my brothers and I were of the same age and the Torrey Canyon, we were due to go to Cornwall on holiday that summer and remember taking a great interest.

Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzig Norgay reaching the summit of Mount Everest 1953. 🏔️

Getting ready to go back to school after having been home for dinner, and hearing on the news that Annette Mills (creator of Muffin the Mule) had died - my cousin and I both burst into tears...I was 6.
I also remember sitting with my Nan (we lived with my grandparents) watching a flickering black and white TV in great amazement that we could see pictures coming directly from America,. via the new Telstar satellite in 1962.

The Cuban missile crisis. I was 9 or 10 at the time and moved myself into my parents’ room and slept between them. I remember thinking that if we were doomed I wanted to be with them. My Dad convinced me , however, that President Kennedy would ‘whip their backsides’ if they tried anything. My dad was a fan of JFK and wept openly when he was assassinated.

I remember a boy rushing into the playground after lunch yelling 'Ghandi's dead, Ghandi's dead!' At the age of 7 it meant nothing to me - I didn't even know who Ghandi was. It was only years later that the full import of that piece of news struck me...

Because we came from the DP camps in Germany after the war, all things Russian were of utmost interest and importance - since they were the enemy. The first thing I remember being truly aware of was Yuri Gagarin’s space ride. The following year was the Russian Nuclear Missile Crisis/Cuba. I was afraid to go to bed at night. I think we were all trembling.
Nyet!
USA Gundy

Siope

JFK’s assassination. I recall a newsflash interrupting something I was watching, but not which programme it was. I was the only person in the room, so I’m guessing my dad was at work, and my mum was putting my siblings to bed.

I remember this very well too, I was around 14 I think and remember feeling so sad.

And I remember Yuri Gagarin's space trip, we were travelling to see my Nanny in the car and had the radio on,

Winston Churchill died on my 13th birthday so I've never forgotten that.

(Juggernaut.)
You are right. I was three at the time of the 1926 General Strike and my sister had just been born. I remember that night dad taking me into the front bedroom where the midwife was bathing her.
I shall be 100 in two weeks time.

@Polremy, I have just checked the date on Google and it was 15th February 1971. I was certain of the time because of the age I was and the year I was in at school

Bijou, I am so glad that you contributed to the thread. The mind boggles at you being able to remember the General Strike of 1926. Your contributions are always fascinating as they open a window to a time long gone that most of us learned in history lessons but you actually lived through. Congratulations on your hundredth birthday and Many Happy Returns. 🎂

Bijou what a remarkable early memory you have! Thank you for that and like Musicgirl I send you every good wish for your 100th birthday 🎂

My earliest memory of ‘news’ seems to have been from when I was 11 - JFK assassination. And as that happened on a Friday late afternoon UK time and I remember hearing about it in the school playground at lunchtime, it also took all weekend to reach me in my London suburb.

Bijou congratulations on your forthcoming 100th birthday. Have a lovely time.