I suspect that this list is very modern-biased, given that the Casey Anthony verdict or the earthquake in Japan beat out things like, oh, I don’t know, STEPPING FOOT ON THE MOON.
Usually you hear questions like, “Where were you when you saw…?” I can remember distinctly the OKC bombings, the Columbine shootings (bravo to my education professor for an impromptu and extremely memorable lesson), and 9/11 (and having to try to explain it to my Freshmen).
While what happened in Japan was a huge tragedy, and the details of the Casey Anthony case extremely sad, I don’t think people will be able to say, “I remember I was ____ when I heard the news.”
So, here’s the list from the most recent Sony Electronics and Nielsen study:
1. Sept. 11 tragedy (2001)
2. Hurricane Katrina (2005)
3. O.J. Simpson verdict (1995)
4. Challenger space shuttle disaster (1986)
5. Death of Osama bin Laden (2011)
6. O.J. Simpson white Bronco chase (1994)
7. Earthquake in Japan (2011)
8. Columbine High School shootings (1999)
9. BP oil spill (2010)
10. Princess Diana’s funeral (1997)
11. Death of Whitney Houston (2012)
12. Capture and execution of Saddam Hussein (2006)
13. Barack Obama’s acceptance speech (2008)
14. The Royal Wedding (2011)
15. Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963)
16. Oklahoma City bombing (1995)
17. Bush/Gore election results (2000)
18. L.A. riots (1992)
19. Casey Anthony verdict (2011)
20. Funeral of John F. Kennedy (1963)
