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

I remember princess Diana dying, but it's hazy, I would have been 6 I think.

The first one that I can properly remember was 9/11. Then I remember the Soham murders and I have vivid memories of watching coverage of the Potters bar train crash.

I also remember Chernobyl, around 11/12, and our physics teacher telling us to stay out of the rain.

Elvis dying. I was 4 and my sibs and I were playing in the garden (actually an of land adjoining our house ) in the old caravan. I remember my mum standing at the bottom of the steps saying, "Elvis is dead". She has been an huge Elvis all her life so understandably was very upset.

MS Herald of Free Enterprise - I was 6 and Lockerbie bombing - I was 7. Remember as both were close to the first time I went on a ferry and then flew!

Hillsborough, I was 4. I didn’t really understand it but I clearly remember my dad watching it and saying ‘those poor poor people’ really stuck with me

Two stand out.

The heatwave & drought in the summer of 1976. We are used to hot summers & heatwaves these days but back then such temperatures were unheard of. And there was no aircon in cars or on public transport or in workplaces so there was no respite.

The death of Elvis Presley in 1977. At the time he was probably the most famous person on the planet (alongside the boxer Muhammad Ali) and his death had an impact similar to that of Princess Diana 20 years later.

Same! I remember seeing it on the TV. Then we went to visit it. It was highly disappointing as a very young child. Just bits of wood being sprayed..it smelt like celery.

Don't live far from the Historic Dock yard now and went a few years ago, it's much more impressive now 😄

The Hillsborough disaster when I was 7, though my family shielded me from most of it.

The first one I fully understood was James Bulger's murder. The murderers were actually younger than me, in the same year at school and I couldn't believe it could happen.

Herold of Free Enterprise. I was 6.

me too! I remember 'VOTE THORPE' posters everywhere

The resurgence of the Moors Murders story, when Brady and Hindley revealed where some of the bodies were. It was the first I'd heard of "serial killers" and I was really disturbed by it.

This makes me feel old as I skivved latin that afternoon to go to the sea front and watch them bring it up.

I remember going to a neighbour's house to watch the moon landing and feeling very pleased with myself as my baby brother didn't get to go. I was 3 and really didn't like him as he was noisy and smelly......

Princess Diana dying and the Manchester IRA bomb 96-97

The Yorkshire Ripper. It was just everywhere when I was little. We all grew up in an atmosphere of fear for women. I found the ITV series really compelling viewing - it felt so real. I was really little but it was on tv and in the evening paper all the time

Elvis Presley dying.

Pope John Paul II visiting Ireland in 1979. I’m Irish.

Same

The gulf war

Me too. I was 6.

The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper

I can remember some of my mum's friends going to see him in the UK and being very excited to get bits of the carpet he had walked on at the airport.

"The War is Over". 1975. I live in the UK, but hearing that the war in Vietnam was over must have been big news. I was 7yrs old.

Dunblane.. Princess Diana... Jill Dando.. Sept 11th.. awful

I was going to say exactly the same. The drought of 76 and the standpipes etc. We were on holiday in Spain when Elvis died and I remember the general shock and upset. I was 9 and he hadn't had much of an impact on me, but people were crying...

James bulger being taken