I was a freshman in college. A classmate and I hitch hiked to DC. We wore our Army ROTC uniforms because we thought (correctly as it turned out) that it would be easier for "soldiers" to get rides. When we got to the Capitol, the line to get in and file by JFK's casket was incredibly long. As we were reconoittering the situation, a cop (probably a Capitol Policeman), undoubtedly thinking we were real soldiers, let us into the line just at the base of the Capitol steps. This saved us untold hours in the line and we got to file by the casket lying in state. The next day we watched the funeral procession from a strategic corner and then hitch hiked back to New England. In retrospect, an absolutely crazy thing to have done but something I will never forget.
JFK
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steelyman
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I was at Wimpy’s in downtown Chicago with my mom.
jollystomper
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This was my first memory of television, I still remember things clearly to this day. I was home from kindergarten and the TV was on when the first bulletin came across. The TV stayed on in our house from then through the funeral. I also remember seeing Lee Harvey Oswald shot on live TV.
It is also the first memory I have of my parents crying.
It is also the first memory I have of my parents crying.
travelover
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Did they ever figure out who really shot him? The whole thing with Oswald and Ruby was just too weird.
REWahoo
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Jimmy Hoffa
jimbee
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I few years ago the evening news reported someone linking Ted Cruz's dad to the JFK assassination.
Chuckanut
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It was Oswald. He had gone insane a few months earlier due to side effects of a vaccination shot. Ruby was motivated to violence by plans to fake the moon landing.
SecondCor521
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I recognize all the others, but what happened on 07/01/70?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_1970#July_1,_1970_(Wednesday)
I was in 5th grade, 10 years old, and my memory of that Friday, and the weekend are similar. Looking back on it, I think the lasting memory, and it's almost an emotion I can feel inside of me when I linger on the memory, is how upset the adults were. My teachers, parents, parents of my friends etc....When you are just a kid and you see all of the responsible people so visibly upset, it filters down to you.
My other strong memory is being in the living room of my house, Dad was making pancake Sunday breakfast with the portable TV on watching the news and I hear him scream, "WHAT THE HELL!!! SOME STUPID BASTARD JUST SHOT OSWALD!!!"...and my older brother and I running in there and watching it happen over and over again in slow motion, a person being killed for real on TV...
As an aside, I was a student in a predominantly Irish Catholic parish school. So you can imagine how the faculty, mostly Irish nuns, and the priests who were for the most part Irish, were comporting themselves.
Golden sunsets
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Miss Levesque's French class in 8th grade. Such a vivid memory of the principal announcing it over the intercom. And when I got home a little later, my Mom hadn't heard yet.
Willers
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Vietnam draft lottery?
Car-Guy
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I expected that date might challenge "almost" everyone. Well it was a major event that was televised and affected well over a million here in the US, and for me it was very possibly the most pivotal day in my life.
It was the day they held the draft lottery for "boys" my age.
Getting a lower number means you probably just won an "extended" all expense paid trip to Vietnam within the next year. Getting a higher number and you continued with your life here at home, as if nothing happened. "Talk about the luck of the draw". I can remember like it was yesterday watching as they posted my number in the upper 300's.
The text in italics below is a cut and paste extract from the New York Times from July 1, 1970
"The drawing will be shown on live television by the American Broadcasting Company beginning at 10 A.M. The National Broadcasting Company will interrupt regular programs from time to time with results of the drawing. The Columbia Broadcasting System will have a special report on the lottery at 1 P.M."
And to keep this thread about JFK, I've often wonder if the 1970 lottery would have even been necessary if he had not been assassinated in 1963?
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Ronstar
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We went to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza several months ago. The experience was riveting. Although crowded, you could hear a pin drop in that place. Pics of the grassy knoll, the Zapruder camera, and Oswald's view from the book depository window
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Car-Guy
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Been there several times over the years. Yes, "riveting" is a very good adjective to describe the experaince.... The last time I went was last year on a holiday weekend and it was packed. I wonder how the crowds are on a regular weekday....
I also wonder if "someday in the future", the technology will exist (or does it exist today?) that will be able to "detect" the actual bullets paths in 486 frames of the Zapruder 8mm film?
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Ronstar
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We went on a regular Saturday and had to wait an hour or so to get in, and there were a bunch of people swarmed around every exhibit. I hope the weekdays aren't as crowded. I'd like to go back when I could spend more time closer to the exhibits.
As to the "someday in the future" detecting bullet paths - I wonder how they figured out where to put those 2 white x's on the pavement where they calculated the shots landed.
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Especially the last date. My 2 year old cried hehe. I believe the '86 was the challenger, I watched that on live TV as a 5 year old. And of course 9/11 was the day after I left Lackland AFB from my Basic Training and thought...oh @$%#...is this for real.
Qs Laptop
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Came home from kindergarten and was eating lunch in the kitchen. Mom, as usual for that time of day, was in the living room watching the daytime soap opera, "As the World Turns". Suddenly my Mom starts crying out, "Oh my Lord! and Oh no!" They had interrupted the show with the breaking news of the assassination.
It's such a vivid memory.
Over the weekend I was kind of bummed because my usual TV shows weren't on as the news dominated TV. It seemed like the body lying in state in the capitol and the funeral went on for a week, but I suppose it was only a couple of days.
It's such a vivid memory.
Over the weekend I was kind of bummed because my usual TV shows weren't on as the news dominated TV. It seemed like the body lying in state in the capitol and the funeral went on for a week, but I suppose it was only a couple of days.
timo2
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I was in 5th grade in Falls Church VA when it happened. the principle came on the school PA system and announced it. then they sent everyone home. For the funeral, my dad took us in from the other side of the grave site, up the hill in the trees. So we watched it from there.
travelover
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You probably mean principal.
HFWR
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SecondCor521
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I expected that date might challenge "almost" everyone. Well it was a major event that was televised and affected well over a million here in the US, and for me it was very possibly the most pivotal day in my life.
It was the day they held the draft lottery for "boys" my age.
Getting a lower number means you probably just won an "extended" all expense paid trip to Vietnam within the next year. Getting a higher number and you continued with your life here at home, as if nothing happened. "Talk about the luck of the draw". I can remember like it was yesterday watching as they posted my number in the upper 300's.
The text in italics below is a cut and paste extract from the New York Times from July 1, 1970
"The drawing will be shown on live television by the American Broadcasting Company beginning at 10 A.M. The National Broadcasting Company will interrupt regular programs from time to time with results of the drawing. The Columbia Broadcasting System will have a special report on the lottery at 1 P.M."
And to keep this thread about JFK, I've often wonder if the 1970 lottery would have even been necessary if he had not been assassinated in 1963?
Thank you. I knew about the draft lottery, but didn't know that was the date they did it. I'm surprised the Wiki article on 1971 doesn't mention it, although it is covered in the Draft Lottery article.
My Dad was born in 1936 and served during the war but not in country. From what I understand, he got the privilege of choosing his branch of service if he "volunteered". He was a doctor and served in Idaho, Texas, and what was then West Germany.
OK, back to the JFK memories. (I don't have any, being born in 1969, but I have a keen interest and have watched a lot of documentaries and read books on the subject.)
