The worst disasters that have happened in your lifetime

[Jokerette]

A really morbid topic, forgive me, but which are they and do you remember them? I'd list the worst in my life time (1983-present) as being these:

- Chernobyl explosion in Russia (1986)
- The Challenger tragedy (1986)
- Herald of Free Enterprise Car Ferry Disaster (1987 English Channel ferry that capsized because one of the crew left the door open after falling alseep)
- Oklahoma Bombing (1995)
- Omagh bombing, Ireland (1998)

And of course the big one, the Twin Towers, September 11th 2001. That will be I think the worst disaster and biggest tragedy that we've witnessed so far.

[Kazza]

The ones I remember:
Chernobyl, The Challenger, Sept 11, The Columbia, Oklahoma City, The Pan Am flight that was hijacked and the one taken down by a bomb

[Dutabi84]

Let's turn this into a "what were you doing while this disaster happened" thread...

I was watching SportsCenter on 9/11, finishing up packing my lunch for school. My sister called me and said,

"Are you watching the news? A plane crashed into the World Trade Center."

I hung up and changed to an ABC affiliate. When she said a "plane," I thought she ment a small, maybe 4 passenger type plane..so anyway, I see one of the towers up in smoke, cause by an airplane obviously much larger.

About 3 minutes later, I saw the 2nd plane come in out of no where, and hit the other tower. "Holy ****!" I was in shock. It then became obvious that it was terrorism.

I went to school, and in first hour shop class, we watched TV. When I went home, I sat on the couch and watched coverage of it until I went to bed...crazy stuff.

[Brent88]

Loma Prieta Quake in 1989(the one that hit San Francisco during the World Series). I was only 15 months old... don't remember it, but we were in Maine visiting my uncle at the time(it was a 2 week trip where we would later go to Canada).

Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. Slammed into South Florida as a Category 4.

Northridge Earthquake in January 1994 that hit the Los Angeles area.

Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995

2000 Election mess(LOL)

September 11th. The days that followed would be the worst days of my life. That really started my interest in World events. I was at school that day, they didn't tell us anything at school. My dad checked me out a couple of hours later(about 9:30am) and I was just in shock for the next few days.

Columbia explosion in February 2003. Was at my grandparent's house that morning, had just gotten there(9:00am). I had the TV on CNN because I knew it was going to land. At 9:15am, they came on and said they had lost contact with it. Immediately I could tell something was wrong. When it didn't land, I knew something had happened because shuttles that land aren't late, they are always on time unless something happens. I watched TV the rest of the weekend not believing that either.

[PZelda]

I was just five months old when the Challenger explosion occurred, so I don't remember anything about it.

I was in 4th grade in the spring of 1995 when the OK City bombing occurred. I remember we had a Current News class, and we went into another teacher's classroom to watch the footage on the TV there. I was almost 10 when it happened, and I just couldn't believe it. Immediately, I thought of all the people trapped in the bathrooms (I don't know why I thought about that) 'n' stuff and couldn't get out...=/

Princess Di's death in August 1997. I'd just turned 12 two weeks earlier and just started 7th grade a week earlier...I remember being in shock when I heard about it...I also remember watching her funeral on TV and bawling my eyes out, because it was so sad.

The Columbine HS shooting on April 20, 1999. I was 13 (almost 14) and just finishing up 8th grade. When the first shots rang out, I was at lunch and didn't hear anything about it until last period. I remember going home after school and it being all over CNN...OMG..the footage. I will NEVER forget that. NEVER. It was so scary. Immediately, I thought of one of my uncles who lived 5 minutes from Columbine, and then I wondered if some of the kids had seeked safety at his house. My uncle never did say anything about it, so I don't think it ever happened. But, wow.

9/11/01...Wow, I'll remember that for the rest of my life (You forgot the planes also flew into the Pentagon and into a field in Pennsylvania). I had just turned 16 less than a month earlier and just started my junior year in high school three weeks earlier. We always started school after August 20th every year, and because August 20th was on a Monday in 2001, we started on the 20th that year, hence my being in school for three weeks already. OK, um. I was already on my way to school when the first plane struck the WTC (but I didn't know). I was already out on the tennis court for my PE class when the 2nd one struck (but I didn't know). I had just arrived to my next class, World Studies, when the first tower collapsed, but I still didn't know. My interpreter came in to class a few minutes late, and told me that two planes had struck the WTC...but I still knew nothing. We had to watch some stupid movie about the Egyptians in class, because my teacher wouldn't let us watch CNN. And we were still watching that stupid movie when the 2nd tower collapsed and when the plane struck the Pentagon. Finally, World Studies ended and I went to my next class, Accounting. From therein for the rest of the day in all my classes (and lunch), everybody did nothing but watch CNN. No homework was assigned that day. (Yes, I still remember that...and I have an excuse slip from 9/11/01, because I'd missed PE on 9/10/01)

[Kazza]

It's too painful to bring it back but here it goes. The first thing I do after waking up, is to turn the tv on. Instead of cartoons; that morning I turned on Diane Sawyer's show; which I NEVER watch.
I started making breakfast for my kids and heard the reporter saying that there was 'a fire' in one of the towers but it wasnt the 'wastebasket' type. They were just sitting there, not knowing what to expect when all the sudden the camera man takes the shot to an approaching airplane,I just stood there in awe watching as the plane just had entered the building (I thought of the fx's this days in the movies) and the red fire bomb that came out. The reporters faces were in awe too; I guess they couldn't believe their eyes either. I just took a deep breath and kept on. The most shocking part was when the towers started collapsing; all the firemen still going upstairs saving lives came to mind. Then, I tuned to MSN and Ashleigh Banfield was interviewing this lady with a baby in her arms; at the same time I was holding my little one the same way; when the tower started collapsing behind them and I went to hysterics. Then the Pentagon and the PA flight were happening at the same time. I thought this world was going to come to an end soon.

[Kazza]

When Lady Di had the accident, I was sleeping and was woken up with the news at midnite. The next morning, I was terribly sad and I couldn't believe it. The day of her funeral; I bawled my eyes out. I admired and liked her a lot and still miss her.
The day the Challenger exploded, I was in 6th grade and didnt learned the news until I went home from school that day. My dad just said it and I was like huh? . The tv played it all day/night; it still gives me the chills
When the Columbia exploded over TX; I had the tv on and was doing the laundry. The local news were broadcasting the passing over our skies, when all the sudden you could see that the white line in the sky had a break in it. I came back inside and the reporter was saying that they had received phone calls saying that they had heard a 'boom' . The reporter kept saying and even brought an 'expert' to tell everyone that the noise was 'normal' because the rocket was re entering blah, blah. They were expecting the landing within 5 minutes and it never happened; instead they started finding pieces and parts in empty fields and backyards.

[*MIBabe03*]

When Colombia exploded. I actually heard it! I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth metro area, and we were watching the news, and they said it should be over our area. Next thing we heard was this explosion.

Obviously I remember 9/11. I was in history class and we watched the last of the towers fall. Worst day ever.

When Princess Di died. I was watching SNL at the time and I honestly thought it was a really bad skit.

[jamesanthony]

9/11. Had I not gone to vote in the primaries I would have been traveling in that part of town.

Last summer's East coast blackout. I almost got into the subway, but stopped to get a bite. Inside the shop, all the lights went out. Had I been on the train as usual I would have been stranded.

[I am Him]

Girls/Women thinking tattoos look good

[Brent88]

Originally posted by jamesanthony
9/11. Had I not gone to vote in the primaries I would have been traveling in that part of town.

Last summer's East coast blackout. I almost got into the subway, but stopped to get a bite. Inside the shop, all the lights went out. Had I been on the train as usual I would have been stranded.

I remember the blackout too. I had MSNBC on(as I always do) and they started reporting power outages. I didn't think much of it at first until every 30 seconds they were adding another city or state to the list.

Fortunately, that wasn't *too* bad, no deaths that I know of. It could have been a lot worse because it was very hot that day.

I vaguely remember Princess Diana's death and the JFK Jr. Plane Crash. I also remember the day Payne Stewart's plane went missing and eventually crashed(1999) and I remember Senator Wellstone's Plane crash just a week before the 2002 Midterm elections(that was the day after the DC sniper was caught, wild week).

[Simon_C45]

The death of my father, step-father,grand-monther,It's been 3 years of my step faather he died of cancer(long) and mr dad 10 or more years ago,it's still long,but still miss him. Grand-,a 1985. she always said I was her favorite out of all the grand kids she had.

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by Brent88
I remember the blackout too. I had MSNBC on(as I always do) and they started reporting power outages. I didn't think much of it at first until every 30 seconds they were adding another city or state to the list.

Fortunately, that wasn't *too* bad, no deaths that I know of. It could have been a lot worse because it was very hot that day.

I vaguely remember Princess Diana's death and the JFK Jr. Plane Crash. I also remember the day Payne Stewart's plane went missing and eventually crashed(1999) and I remember Senator Wellstone's Plane crash just a week before the 2002 Midterm elections(that was the day after the DC sniper was caught, wild week).

Thank God there were no real tragedies from the blackouts. People actually behaved better than usual, drving slower, being helpful. No looting. Much different than the 65 or 77 blackouts.

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by Simon_C45
The death of my father, step-father,grand-monther,It's been 3 years of my step faather he died of cancer(long) and mr dad 10 or more years ago,it's still long,but still miss him. Grand-,a 1985. she always said I was her favorite out of all the grand kids she had.

Sorry to hear this Simon. Personal tragedies are worse than the big disasters because it's like people around you don't empathize and just go on with their day to day lives while you have to deal with your losses.

[RustyShackleford]

One that i know of that hasn't been mentioned yet is the thing with David Koresh, and the Branch Davidian cult from Waco, Texas, I remember this story was on Tv all the time for like weeks