What was the first major news story you remember as a kid?

[igotbills]

Mine was the disappearance of Madeline Mccann in 2007 - I was 10

There seemed to be more 'big' news stories in the 80s than now?

We live in a much safer society now I suppose.

Lots of these disasters which made the news are now prevented because of these previous disasters/ safety failures.

Lots I remember from the 80s- Lockerbie, Kegworth, Chernobyl King's Cross fire, marshioness, piper alpha, challenger, Bhopal, Ethiopian famine with Michael Buerk, Zebrugge, Hillsborough- I was watching as it happened and still remember some of it that's not shown now.

International events Berlin Wall, Thatcher meeting Gorbachev, IRA bombs, vague memories of something about Iran & Iraq,

Other stuff like Dennis Taylor winning the snooker, Carl Lewis and the 1984 olympics and Ben Johnson (?) cheating in the 1988 olympics

Weather things like the storm Michael Fish said wouldn't happen & the actor from Allo Allo being injured in it. The 1989 Sam Francisco earthquake.

The first general election I remember was 1987. Parents weren't happy.

They apparently took her to moors in the middle of the night ,so she could try and locate more bodies and I think that's when they found Pauline Reades ,body ?
They have sadly never found Keith Bennets body .

I remember when she was 60 because we had to write a poem in English that didn't really rhyme about the current news ,I was 11 I think 🤣

It's odd really that I don't remember the pub bombings as we also lived fairly close to Birmingham and I'm a bit older than you . I do remember the later scares though and also being quite wary at times .

I don't remember the news story myself, but I remember my mum crying when JFK was shot, I was three. The first news story I really remember (my mum cried at that too) was Aberfan. I was the same age as some of the children who died, which I think hit her hard.

@cordeliachaseatemyhandbag

There seemed to be more 'big' news stories in the 80s than now?

Perhaps you just let it all wash over your head now ? It seems to me that there are major stories every day - there are constantly reports of wars, natural disasters - fires, earthquakes etc, and then such newsworthy things as death of the Queen, coronation of Charles, the pandemic, Brexit .... all in the last 4-5 years.

I remember my mum being upset at Elvis dying... I wasn't hugely bothered otherwise.

But actually Suzy Lamplugh disappearing sticks with me. I was about 16.

I first remember Lockerbie. I had just turned 4 and dreamt of plane crashes for ages later.

Then the Berlin Wall a year later.

Chernobyl - we lived in west Germany at the time and flew home to the uk a few days afterwards. Dread to think about the radioactivity we flew through!

I grew up with a story about a girl missing after leaving her friends house, bus was late that night and she never got on it. This was around 1973 and I was seven, often came up.

Sadly she turned out to be one of Fred and Rosemary West's victims.

Jessica McClure falling down a well in Texas.

Blair Peach being killed and also reporting on the Yorkshire Ripper. I was about 7-8.

Watching the first sputnik flying over England one night on 1957. I was 9. Also the announcement that the Queen was pregnant iin 1959. (Prince Andrew)

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat I think we must be around the same age. The first story I remember was the sinking of the Torey Canyon oil tanker. We lived in Cornwall and tar was washed up on the beaches for several years I think.

Moon landing and Vietnam War...feel old!!

Vietnam war on the news.

Moors Murders as we lived in that area. And parents around there were genuinely worried.

The fear over eating beef because of CJD.

Elvis Presley's death in 1977.

James Bulger

Cod War

Vaguely John Lennon being shot. I didn’t really get it. But I clearly remember the horror of the Stardust disaster ( I’m from Dublin) . I was 6. For those who don’t know - it was a teenage disco - Valentines Eve 1981. A fire broke out and the kids were trapped. Fire escape was locked. Nearly 50 kids died in it, hundreds more injured. Still makes me break out in goosebumps to think about it - those poor children and their families

Death of Elvis

Margaret Thatcher becoming PM in 1979.
Prince Charles marrying Lady Diana in 1981.
The bombing of Hyde Park in 1982.

The wreck of the Torrey Canyon in around 1967/8, and possibly the Aberfan disaster in 1966, but I'm not sure if that is a real memory.