Event Moments

There is a wonderful story, in the December 2004 issue of Harper's Magazine. In 1963, Thomas de Zengotita, and a studio full of Method Acting students, mistook fragmentary news of JFK's shooting for the premise of an acting improvisational exercise. On cue, the actors plumbed their souls for the emotions they would express if JFK had been shot. The students were very good at their craft, and their pain was inconsolable. News eventually filtered in, however, that JFK really had, in fact, been shot and killed, leaving the students, who had already been in a state of shock, in an embarrassed agony too deep for their formidable acting skills to express.

I began thinking about the event moments of my lifetime - those moments where you can't help but remember where you were when you heard the news. These are close cousins to the vivid memories associated with crises.

The most important series of events in my lifetime so far have been the dissolution of the Soviet Union. No other events come close in regards to their unexpected surprise and historical importance. There are so many stories to tell, and no time! Here are partial lists of both Crises and Events that come to mind:

Crises
Cuban Missile Crisis
1967 Urban Riots
Tet Offensive
Invasion of Cambodia
Apollo 13
Watergate
Iran Hostage Crisis
Jonestown
1983 S. AZ Floods
Iran-Contra
1989 E. European Crisis
Berlin Wall breached
Desert Storm
Soviet Union dissolved
Bush vs. Gore
No Iraqi WMD

Events
JFK's Assassination
Apollo 1 Fire
MLK's Assassination
RFK's Assassination
Apollo 11 - Landing On the Moon
Reagan's Attempted Assassination
Challenger Destroyed
1987 Stock Market Collapse
Invasion of Kuwait
Soviet Coup Attempt
OJ Simpson Verdict
Princess Di's Death
September 11th
Columbia Destroyed