What were you doing 25 years ago when this happened?

[Red Rocker]

I was 20 and a sophomore Engineering student in college. I was working in the produce department at a local grocery store here in Cincinnati. Our prep area was across from the employee lounge which had a TV in it. One of my co-workers was on break and screamed "Holy Crap". We asked what happened and his response was "I think Challenger just blew up". We didn't get a whole lot of work done after that.

When Columbia disintegrated, I was in a grad school class on Saturday morning and we were on a break when my friend's wife called him and told him to go watch the TV. He was a F-16 pilot in the USAF stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton at the time. The Prof cancelled the remaining portion of the morning class,

[Zabo]

Originally Posted by helmincamaro

well, I wasn't even thought of at that time.... but I do remember the Columbia explosion.... I had just finished up a hockey game, got off the ice and we were all in the locker room, one of the parents came in and told us. We all ran out into the lobby (only TV there) and watched it.

That's the one I remember. Sophmore in HS and crashed on the couch on that sunday. Turned on the TV and it happened to be on CNN and at first what I thought as a meteor shower turned out to be thousands of chunks of space shuttle at 120K feet and falling.

However we still have a copy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer from when Challenger went up. To think a cold snap and shock frozen rubber gasket for the right SRB was what caused that booster to eat into the LOX tank (big orange thing)..

[Wilburbeest]

I was just short of half a decade late for that one.

[lordfriday2]

I was in the car being taken to pre-school by my mom... and all of a sudden she screamed "OH NO" and i wasn't sure what was going on... then she said that the space shuttle exploded... i'll never forget that moment.

[2ndgenz28]

7th grade at Perrysburgh JR High, we watched the TV all day.

And the next day the head n shoulders shampoo jokes started.

Can't member it, but it was harmless like the Richard Prior match joke

[Mr. Wyndham]

Interesting how similar these stories are to mine (and others my age) when 9/11 or the Columbia disaster occurred.

Such a sad loss....:(

For the Challenger tragedy...I wouldn't be here for another three years...

[Silver2SSRS6spd]

I was in college watching it on the TV if I remember correctly. That was also the 25th flight, two disasters for all of the flights so far is not too bad in my book for what they are doing.

[yellowlightning2009]

I only know the stories and videos of this tragic loss seeing I was only born 7 months later after it happened

[KILLER74Z28]

4th grade, Ms. Wood's class. Mr. Ethington made an announcement over the intercom of what had happened... I remember drawing a picture of it my desk.

[DarthNacho08]

my sister and I were just gleams in my parents' eyes, they had just gotten engaged when that happened

[Oddball]

I was 21, at work, on my lunch break waiting for my boss to get back with the food. When he walked in, I could tell something was wrong. As he was walking towards me he said "Well, it's all over but the crying, the Space Shuttle just blew to smithereens." and then he set my lunch down on the bench and started walking towards the office. I could tell he wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

I was watching the price is right

[TJTKSDMJ8]

I swear to God...

I was in the nurses office in elementary school because..

ummm...

I drank the water that we put the paint brushes in....

In art class...on a bet.

[EdKlee]

I was at work and caught the news on the radio. After most of the rest of the plant heard it things came to a stand still, There was a great deal of emotion and questions. It was one of the few times that I seen an entire auto plant came to a stand still. One of the guys climbed up and placed an American flag in the rafters of the area I worked in. A real touching moment.