"I Didn't Really Understand Why It Was Such A Big Thing That She Had Died" — People Are Sharing The First Big News Stories They Remember As A Kid

    "I remember going outside and pretending to hunt the stingray that killed him."

    Elizabeth Cotton
    by Elizabeth Cotton

    BuzzFeed Staff

    I'm sure most of us can remember the first big news story we heard as a kid. For me, it would be the case of Madeleine McCann in 2007.

    News of the World poster on a vehicle with "FIND MADDIE" headline, a crowd in the background
    Vasco Celio / AFP via Getty Images

    So, when u/Valentine-Venom asked "what is the first major news story you remember as a kid?" I decided to round up some of the most upvoted answers:

    1. "Challenger exploding. My dad let me stay home from school to watch it. I told him they launched fireworks instead, because I (six years old) didn't understand what just happened."

    Space Shuttle launch with smoke and fire at liftoff
    Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

    u/Living-Rip-4333

    2. "The Tylenol murders in 1982. I was six and I distinctly remember standing in the kitchen in front of my grandparents refrigerator while this story was on the evening news in their living room. It’s so weird how you remember certain details."

    Two men assist a distressed woman holding a tissue. They are outside near a vehicle
    Chicago Tribune / TNS / Getty Images

    u/Peachy33

    3. "The death of Princess Diana. I was nine at the time."

    Three people smiling and laughing on an amusement park ride
    Julian Parker / UK Press via Getty Images

    u/condor235

    "I was six and didn't really understand why it was such a big thing that she had died. I just remember everyone being so distraught and literally nothing on TV except tributes to her for about a week."  

    u/InviteAromatic6124

    4. "9/11."

    Officer saluting at 9/11 Memorial with floral tributes and U.S. flag
    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    u/blahbabooey

    "Same. I was in kindergarten at the time. I remember coming home and seeing my mum watching the burning towers on TV."  

    u/Vinny_Lam

    5. "Steve Irwin's death."

    Man holding a small alligator, both in dynamic poses, man smiling and fist raised, in natural setting
    Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

    "I was seven. A lot of Gen-Z loved and grew up with him, I think that was also the first celebrity death I remember in my lifetime." 

    u/Thabrianking

    "This is one of my firsts. I remember going outside and pretending to hunt the stingray that killed him after learning what happened to him."

    u/najlepszykrolik  

    6. "OJ Simpson Bronco chase."

    Traffic on a highway with overhead signs for Santa Monica Blvd and Olympic Blvd
    Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

    u/Mowanda

    "This is definitely my first clear memory of a news story. We were absolutely fixated on the TV while it was happening, it was such a big deal. At least, it was a big deal to my parents, I was extremely confused."

    u/DAVENP0RT  

    7. "The Oklahoma City bombing. I grew up in Tulsa and I was in second grade when it happened. I remember my dad picking me up after school for a dentist appointment, we drove by a local news station building and he told me what happened."

    Exhibit display at a museum featuring "The Daily Oklahoman" headline on the Oklahoma City bombing
    Jeff Fusco / Getty Images

    u/kd907

    8. "Columbine. I was in fifth grade and turned on the TV to watch Power Rangers after school, but instead there were live shots of all these 'big kids' walking out of their school with their hands behind their heads. I'd never seen anything like it."

    A memorial with crosses and flowers; individuals paying respects
    Steve Liss / Getty Images

    u/everylastlight

    9. "The fall of the Berlin wall."

    People sitting atop a graffiti-covered wall, appearing casual and relaxed
    Kontrolab / KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images

    u/Calikola

    "I was five and didn’t understand the context I just remember my parents watching TV and seeing people ripping apart this graffitied concrete wall."  

    u/Jumpy_Spinach7962

    10. "The coronation of Elizabeth II."

    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip waving from a balcony, dressed in formal regalia
    Print Collector / Getty Images

    u/SutttonTacoma

    11. "Obama winning the election. I remember my aunt being very excited about it."

    Barack Obama with daughters and Michelle Obama on stage, waving to the crowd, dressed in formal attire
    Stan Honda / AFP via Getty Images

    u/Angel_OfSolitude

    12. "The resignation of President Nixon."

    Man in suit stands at a podium with presidential seal, thoughtful expression, others present
    Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

    u/Syssyphussy

    "This is mine as well. My dad got me out of bed to watch his resignation speech (maybe on the 10pm news?) I just remember being so sleepy, and didn't understand what Nixon was saying."  

    u/mybelle_michelle

    13. "Skylab falling back to Earth."

    Satellite orbiting Earth with visible landmasses and cloud cover below
    Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

    u/Fizzelen 

    "As a West Australian kid, this was quite exciting."

    u/Appropriate_Ad7858

    14. "The 2004 tsunami that hit Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand on the 26th of December. I was eight and had gotten a cake decorating kit for Christmas so my siblings and cousins made cakes and sold them in front of Go-Lo and donated the money."

    Flooded area with submerged vehicles and debris, indicating a natural disaster scene
    Str / AFP via Getty Images

    u/tahsii 

    15. "Michael Jackson's death."

    Michael Jackson performing on stage in a sparkling red jacket with a microphone
    Kmazur / WireImage / Getty Images

    u/Conq-crode-137

    "I was looking for this! I distinctly remember watching the TV in the living room. The news was playing photos from outside the medical centre where he died." 

    u/ssayfromage

    16. "Jamie Bulger. I was five and really good at reading, and really into reading the newspaper, because that's what grown ups did."

    A crowd of fans at a sporting event holding up a banner with the text "R.I.P. JAMES."
    John Giles - Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images

    "I remember reading an article about it and understanding what all the words meant on a logical level, but not really understanding a conceptual level what it meant that two kids a bit older than me had kidnapped a third kid and murdered him."

    u/SleepySpookySkeleton

    17. "Baby Jessica falling down the well."

    Rescue workers and onlookers gather around a well during a rescue operation
    Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

    u/Grody_Joe

    "Still claustrophobic from seeing this on the news non-stop as a small child. Kids are sponges, people!"  

    u/Apocalypstick1

    18. "Hurricane Katrina."

    Damaged building with debris and a wrecked car after a disaster
    Hum Images / HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    u/ButanePorch

    "I have some memory of Katrina on the news and stronger memories of hurricane Wilma, because that was reality for me here in south Florida. I had just turned five when that storm hit."  

    u/slytherinxiii

    H/T to u/Valentine-Venom and AskReddit for having this discussion!

    Note: All submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

    Do you have anything to add? Let me know in the comments below