DISCUSSION: What Was the First Big News Story That You Remember?

And how did it affect you?

“Where were you when you heard the news?”

We’ve heard this question perhaps most often related to such monumental events that change the course of history. Case in point: discussion of the JFK assassination is often prefaced with this question.

As a child, the impact of hearing about a history-altering event can’t be measured. It stays with you long after the actual event has passed.

For me, it was the resignation of American president Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974.

My family and I were in a hotel room in Ottawa, as we were visiting our country’s capital as part of our annual summer vacation. I had heard all about this “Watergate” thing for months, not knowing what it meant but realizing it meant something.

For a young girl from Toronto, even I knew that this was a big deal. While not completely understanding the implications of this announcement (and the subsequent changes to American, and by extension, world history) the news was startling nonetheless.