What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

[themilkman]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

4 for me..........

Elvis Presley death
John Lennon death
Princess Diana death
9/11
7/7.........................................make that 5 then.

[xmark1234]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

9/11 got be mine just thinking bout them planes makes me shiver

[Tortie]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

I'm with many others who say 9/11.
I was at work at the time when it came on the radio that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Centre. Initially, there was no suspicion that it was a terrorist attack, but I remember thinking to myself that it hadn't been that many years before that it had been targeted by terrorists. Then the news came through that there had been a second attack, and it seemed as though the world stopped because nobody quite knew what to do.
There was panic that similar attacks could happen here, and everyone was sort-of waiting in fear for further news updates.
On the face of it, I was trying to keep calm and reassure everyone at work, but inside, I was terrified. I usually went to the gym straight after work, but I went straight home that night, as I just wanted to be with my husband-to-be and the cats in case it was the beginning of all-out war.

Sly, I remember 7/7 too, and the thing I remember about that is how bl**dy angry I felt that this had happened. It must've been worrying not being able to get in touch with your loved ones with the networks being down; just shows how we take things like mobile coverage etc. for granted these days.

I also remember the Manchester Arndale bombing; we weren't used to such things happening "up North," they always seemed to happen in London. Two of my friends were shopping in Manchester that day, but thankfully, they were safe on the bus on the way home when the bomb went off, and they were totally unaware that anything had happened till they got home - this was way before mobile phones & anything. Their families had been going frantic with worry, as you can imagine. They later realised that none of their payments had gone through, as the bomb had destroyed all the connections for the card machines, but they felt so guilty about ot that all the clothes they'd bought went to charity shops.

[Tortie]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

Not so much a single event, but growing up in Yorkshire in the 70's, the Yorkshire Ripper murders left a huge impression; to a lesser extent, the Black Panther murders too.

[darren]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

it would have to be the troubles as they where known over here through the seventies,eighties and even the nineties.
it gave my wee country a bad image but its not bad.

so many terrible things happened things that wouild make you shudder.
you have to have lived here to really understand it.

for those who dont know where i live its northern ireland.

[amethyst]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

9/11
princess Diana
Aberfan disaster in 1966 where children lost their lives when the moving mountain came down when they were in school it was dreadful.
London bombings 2005

[ayrshireman]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

I remember my mum crying at the Ibrox disaster. My oldest brother had gone to the match and hadn't come home. He turned up the next day - he and his friends had left early and got p*shed at someone's house; they didn't know anything about it! He wasn't allowed (keep in mind he was 22!) to go to football again without me as chaperone until he married and left home.

I remember the wee woman who lived upstairs from my aunty being in bits about Elvis. It didn't help that we 9-11 year-olds all told her he was just an old singer who was rubbish and wasn't as good as Abba or David Soul.

Bob Marley and John Lennon; heard about both listening to Tiger Tim's show on Radio Clyde (different nights, obviously)!

Diana; I got up early for a Dynamic Forces comic memorabilia special on QVC and found it off-air with a message to tune to Sky News for something important.

9/11 ; I was sitting in the car eating lunch from the sandwich shop opposite work when the first newsflash came on. Most of the internet went down under weight of traffic, but the Guardian's talkboards stayed up and had people from all over the world online.

7/7; I was on holiday in Portugal and watched it on the hotel bar TV.

Heysel; listening to radio commentary.

Hillsborough; in the window of a TV rental shop in Poole. Dozens of people gathered around in silence.

Jacko - there was a cryptic half-story on 5Live about an hour before it was confirmed. I remember thinking, "that doesn't sound good".

Challenger, Valley Parade and Whitney, strangely, I have no memory of.

The one that really sticks in my mind is the day Thatcher resigned. I was sitting on a bus outside (appropriately) the job centre - radio 4 on the headphones - listening to her telling the House how much she was "enjoying" the debate - thinking, "good riddance"

I lost a cousin that day.

[Moondog]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

Michael Jackson's death, i never saw that one coming.

[Powdered toast man]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

9/11- I was working alone inside a laboratory test-chamber at work when my workmate Jimbo started banging like hell on the door and I went to see what was happening. he said that there's just been a massive plane crash in New York. I went out onto the factory floor to find about 35 technicians crowded in silence around a radio and listening to Chris Moyles telling the world that a passenger jet had hit the WTC in New York. We all thought it was a practical joke until the News cut in and we listened in horror at what was unfolding in the USA.

7/7 I was in Barnsley and driving a rented lorry back home after a friend's house move and all the signs on M1 turned on with the message 'LONDON CLOSED- AVOID AREA-TURN ON RADIO'. Being in a crappy old Ford Cargo, it had no radio so I got on the phone to a mate in London and the line was down. So I called home and was told that there had been an explosion on a tube train and a bus.

[escorteclipse1990]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

The thing that stopped me in my tracks was reading in the local paper on 31 July 1997 and a mates name came leaping out. He had been on a stag night and a prank had backfired. The next morning he was found by a police helicopter completely butt naked! in a field miles away from home. He was very very embarrassed by the press coverage. I still believe he was abducted by aliens and the "stag night prank" was a cover up.

[escorteclipse1990]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

When they found the Titanic in 1985. Something i remember people saying it could not be found and that the guy was chasing a dream. My grandad was 11 years old when the Titanic sank and i remember him telling me that the sinking of the Titanic stunned the world, something i think on a par of 9/11 to us. He remembered the sinking like it was yesterday even in his 90s he had a really good memory. No he was not on the Titanic.

[Richard1978]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

I remember the Titanic being found, some people had been expecting to be more intact that it was.

[darren]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

the truth is out there.
it stunned you but in a different way to other posts in this thread.

when i heard of the terrible disaster of piper alpha oil rig in the north sea.

The thing that stopped me in my tracks was reading in the local paper on 31 July 1997 and a mates name came leaping out. He had been on a stag night and a prank had backfired. The next morning he was found by a police helicopter completely butt naked! in a field miles away from home. He was very very embarrassed by the press coverage. I still believe he was abducted by aliens and the "stag night prank" was a cover up.

[Richard1978]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

I remember hearing about Piper Alpha when I was at a friendn't house, his parents often used to leave their radio tuned into Radio 4.

[lemonlime]

Re: What Events Stopped You in Your Tracks!

September 11th obviously, but as this website is about remembering the 70s, 80s and 90s it perhaps is outside the scope.

Deaths of Lennon, Freddie Mercury and Phil Lynott.

The Challenger disaster I remember. Sadly, it soon turned into a slew of sick jokes at school. Such is human nature.

Mt St Helens disaster. AT the time I lived only about 100 miles from it and I remember feeling a tremor shake our house although at the time we had no idea what it was.

Princess Diana of course, but it was a strange one. Of course it was shocking, but come on face it the mass "grieving" was all a sham. Mass hysteria. To most people she was simply the good looking wife of an annoying upper class twit. She seemed, in public more likeable than the usually haughty royals but I never met anyone who ever said "Wow, Diana is a super human being and I'm a big fan" Days after the accident most people I knew were saying things like "I'm not that upset, are you upset?" and everyone shakes their head. Sorry if that sounds callous, but fake sympathy is something I can't stand.