July 21, 1969
I remember it well. I was 8-years old.
I had put on my nightgown and gone to bed at 8:00 pm, my usual time, and gone to sleep.
But then, at about 9:30 at night, Mama came into my room and woke me up. Something important was about to happen.
She led me into the living room, and snuggled up with me on the sofa with a blanket and a pillow. Daddy was sitting in his chair, and our big console color television was tuned in to a news program.
Earlier that day, Apollo 11 had landed on the surface of the moon, and everyone in the world was tuned into their television sets, waiting for a miracle to happen.
At 9:56 pm CST, Neil Armstrong made his way out the door of the tiny lunar module, and we all held our breaths...
I remember Mama starting to cry, and Daddy getting stoicly quiet as we watched these two amazingly brave Americans erect our country's flag on the surface of the moon, so far, far away.
Through my life, I've watched many memorable events on television - the towers crumbling on 9/11, the Challenger disaster, the OJ car chase, the funeral of Princess Diana, the levees breaking during Hurricane Katrina, the LA riots. But all of those events were tragic and shocking.
July 21, 1969 was a triumph. It was a moment when everyone in America tuned in to proudly watch our country's success. We all cheered along with those men in the shirts and ties gathered in that huge room at Mission Control in Houston, not far from where I sat in my living room with my family.
I wonder if I'll ever again see an event which brings our country that much pride. I fear not.
What television news story made the biggest impression on you when you were a kid?
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This post was inspired by...
Prompt #1 - How old were you? Share one of the first news stories you remember caring about.
So cool that you focused on a positive -- I wonder if we watched it -- we were stationed in Puerto Rico on a navy base at the time (I think) and we didn't get as much "regular" tv as in the states - I definitely don't remember watching it like you did. That must have been monumental!!
Posted by: Paula Kiger | 05/02/2013 at 02:35 AM
That was beautiful. How true, that most of our national memories are tradegies. I remember watching Diana and Charles get married on TV with my Mom. We got all dressed up, and made tea and scones. How often do you see someone become a princess, afterall? Twice in my life, so far (and yes, I did watch Will and Kate...)
Posted by: MamaBadger | 05/02/2013 at 05:07 AM
Great post! Such an uplifting news broadcast which we never see anymore. We need an event of this caliber to make our nation proud of itself again. Sadly, you may be right that it may never happen again.
Posted by: Jennifer | 05/02/2013 at 06:31 AM
I remember when the Berlin wall fell. I was 16 and very interested in World War 2 history and by extension the cold war. It was very fascinating to me to see the wall fall.
My spin is up:
http://tttandme.blogspot.com/2013/05/spin-cycle-bucket-list.html
Posted by: VandyJ | 05/02/2013 at 06:55 AM
Good question! You know, I don't think I remember too many good things on TV. The news outlets seem to focus on tragedy and not triumphs.
Posted by: Michele | 05/02/2013 at 07:02 AM
That was an exciting event! I remember watching it with my family. It would be great to see more positive news stories. Something worth watching.
Posted by: carol | 05/02/2013 at 10:00 AM
Great post. I do not recall this, although my mother tells me I watched it on TV. I was only 2 weeks at the time, but she always told me how she held me in front of the tv to watch this big historic event and don't I remember it?
Posted by: Ms M | 05/02/2013 at 11:22 AM
Wow! I can't even imagine watching the moon landing. Such an amazing feat for humankind. Good one!
Posted by: Tonya | 05/02/2013 at 02:12 PM
I'm so glad you went with this memory to share. I enjoyed reading it! I have the same list of all the other events, but you're right, this one stands out as a triumph. It's also a memory I don't have for myself, so thanks for sharing yours! ;)
Posted by: TheMommyMess | 05/02/2013 at 04:08 PM
I sat in my parents tiny family area along with my husband and younger sis. My Grandma Rogers had lived long enough to easily remember the first manned flight at Kitty Hawk. Then in her final years watched men walk on the moon. Our middle grandson was born on the 40th anniversary of this event. Good times. The world watched and prayed together for Apollo 13. And the whole world was a one for a brief few days. That is a real memory that ended better than even Hollywood could have written!
Posted by: Janice Adcock | 05/02/2013 at 08:27 PM
I love that she got you out of bed to share that giant leap!
Posted by: Kat | 05/05/2013 at 07:44 PM