America: The Story of Us

David and I just finished watching the History channel’s six-week long TV series, “America: The Story of Us.” I can’t really say that I enjoyed it since I don’t really enjoy thinking about wars and tragedies of the past, but I did find it interesting. I was hoping to gain some knowledge that my US History books didn’t contain, or that my history teachers never taught because the school year ended before we got to the end of the book. For example, almost everything I know about the Great Depression, I learned from reading The Grapes of Wrath in English class my junior year of high school. I don’t remember getting past the industrial revolution in any of my history classes… but, I digress.

Back to the TV show: My favorite tidbit I learned from the series was that when the first Americans were learning to drive cars, they forgot to use the brakes, and instead yelled, “Whoa!” at the top of their lungs. I thought that was really funny, and it also made me realize that something I completely take for granted on a daily basis was truly revolutionary when it was first introduced.

Tonight’s finale was the “Millennium” episode, which covered the latter half of the 20th century up to 9/11. It prompted me to think about where I was when _____ (fill in the blank with, “the Challenger exploded, the Berlin wall came down, I first used the Internet, or 9/11 happened”). As I was watching and thinking about my own experiences during these times, I thought about how that I’ll share those experiences with my children someday and maybe even my grandchildren. I think it might be a good idea to record my thoughts before I forget. So, here I go.


The Challenger Explosion, January 28, 1986
I was nine years old, and in fourth grade. I clearly remember watching the shuttle launch on live TV and being excited that a school teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was joining the crew. There had been a lot of talk about this for several months before the launch. I remember lots of teachers around the country applied for the position, and I’m thinking maybe even one from my hometown. I remember when it was announced that Christa McAuliffe was the one chosen to be the first teacher in space. There were segments on TV that showed her training with NASA, interviews, and the like. She was excited to go. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t remember for sure where I was when I saw the Challenger launch and then explode in midair less than 2 minutes later. I think I was at home, but it would have been a school day, so I think I must have been home sick that day. When I saw the explosion on TV, at first, I didn't understand that something had gone wrong. I was shocked when I realized what had happened, and I wasn’t sure what to think or how to react. I remember watching President Reagan's address to the country that evening.

I guess a lot of people (and kids my age) felt the same way, and didn't know what to think, or say, or do. I remember kids coming to school and telling several bad jokes about the explosion that went something like (warning: the following is not PC), “How many people will fit in a Florida Volkswagen? Four in the seats and seven in the ashtray,” or, “Did you know that Christa McAuliffe was blue eyed? One blew left and one blew right, or, “Do you know why there was only one black crew member on the Challenger? They didn't know it was going to blow up.” I apologize for those being offensive. Like I said, kids didn’t know how to react, and humor (albeit really bad humor) is a coping mechanism. I did a Google search and found a whole list of jokes like these, but I only copied and pasted the ones that I remember people telling. I find it sad that those disrespectful jokes are a big part of my memory of that experience. I don't remember jokes like that circulating after 9/11. Maybe they did and I just didn't hear them. If I had, I'm certain I would not have thought they were the least bit funny (so if you know one, don't send it to me). Anyway... there's my story of when the Challenger exploded. I have several other stories to share, but I'm going to save them for another day.

P.S. After I posted, I noticed the "Verse of the Day" over in the left column. I think it is a good match for this post (especially the last part). In case you're reading it on a later day, the verses were Revelation 21:2-4.

P.P.S. Just because I think it would be interesting... If you remember where you were when the Challenger exploded, leave a comment and tell me about it.