Hey, I'm 20 years old, and I need some help with something. Why can't I remember certain events in history like 9/11 or the year 2000? I always see people on other sites saying they remembered those things when they were very young, but I can't remember. I don't remember what I was doing on New Year's Eve 2000. And I don't remember what I was doing on the day of 9/11. I was like 7 or 8 when that happened. I remember the aftermath of the attacks. I remember that in 4th grade we weren't allowed to leave the state on a field trip. But that's not good enough. I don't know why I don't remember the day. Another event that I don't remember is the Columbine shooting. I know all of these events now because I hear about them everywhere, but back then I didn't know anything. And it makes me sad that I can't remember but other people can. Does anybody else not remember important events when you were a kid? I just want to know why I can't remember...

You were probably being "protected" from the horrors of that day. One of my best friends had two young boys at that time. She tried to shield them from it. The t.v. wasn't on in their house because that was ALL what was being shown 24/7. Your parents probably tried to limit your exposure to it.


As for me, I can't remember RFK or MLK assassinations.



Cat

Does anybody else not remember important events when you were a kid? I just want to know why I can't remember...

I can remember most events but not all of them because I was too young to understand them.

Maybe it is because you were so young. When I was a child, I remember hearing all of the adults talking about events that happened in those days. But I was way too young to understand what was going on. So it's like I do remember some things very vaguely, but since I was so young I don't remember completely...

Or maybe you somehow blocked your memories?

Is it okay not to remember that stuff when I was 8 years old at the time? Maybe the people who wrote that they remember the events were older than me. All I cared about at that age was watching TV shows, playing video games, and going to school. I wasn't as aware of the pop culture at the time. I never thought about how pop culture is changing or what were the latest trends. I didn't even know what an mp3 player or an iPod was, all I cared about was cartoons and stuff. Is that normal at the age of 7-12?

Is it okay not to remember that stuff when I was 8 years old at the time? Maybe the people who wrote that they remember the events were older than me. All I cared about at that age was watching TV shows, playing video games, and going to school. I wasn't as aware of the pop culture at the time. I never thought about how pop culture is changing or what were the latest trends. I didn't even know what an mp3 player or an iPod was, all I cared about was cartoons and stuff. Is that normal at the age of 7-12?


Yes, perfectly normal. Don't even worry about it. That is what kids do at that age. Watch cartoons, play with toys and have fun. That's a normal childhood to me.

Maybe it is because you were so young. When I was a child, I remember hearing all of the adults talking about events that happened in those days. But I was way too young to understand what was going on. So it's like I do remember some things very vaguely, but since I was so young I don't remember completely...

Or maybe you somehow blocked your memories?


I guess when you get older your mind can remember events that took place.

Mmmmm waffles.  Sorry  :D


Different people have different capacities for memories. As some suggested you may have been sheltered from columbine and 9/11 by your parents.

re 9/11 i chose not to watch the events unfold on the news because it was a lot of reporters saying the same stuff over and over and over again

I watched a lot of TvLand that week. The Stidios were impacted by the event because they reran their broadcast schedule for about 3 days straight. Same episodes of shows at the same time on a 72 or 96 hour loop. They did not once mention 9/11 and truth is, had I not gotten a phone call that day telling me about it, I probably wouldn't have known until 9/12 when the same shows I watched on 9/11 played over again. 


There are people on these boards who can tell you what they were doing the summer of 2004 there are others who can't remember what they did last week.  You remember things you have an emotional connection to or a reason to remember it.

Sometimes you just have no capacity for memory. My friends are always telling me remember when we did this? Remember that person?  No, sorry it didn't blip hard enough on my radar to leave an imprint so it's gone.

I remember more about tv shoes I watched than actual things I've experienced in my life.  It's sad in a way but the real human experiences didn't stick for me. 

Maybe you're kinda like that too

So you were about 9 when 9/11 happened?

I was about 10 when the American hostages were taken in Iran.  I remember grownups talking about it.  I remember the news guys talking about, but I don't really remember the event itself the way an adult would.

Is it okay not to remember that stuff when I was 8 years old at the time? Maybe the people who wrote that they remember the events were older than me. All I cared about at that age was watching TV shows, playing video games, and going to school. I wasn't as aware of the pop culture at the time. I never thought about how pop culture is changing or what were the latest trends. I didn't even know what an mp3 player or an iPod was, all I cared about was cartoons and stuff. Is that normal at the age of 7-12?


No, I don't think that's unusual at all. I was going on 8-years-old when the Oklahoma City Bombing happened, and I only have vague memories of hearing about that in school. I remember seeing the O.J. chase when I was seven, but again only vaguely. My younger brother was only ten when 9/11 happened and he doesn't remember it as well as I do.

As far as pop culture, music and trends, I got into some of that when I was in elementary school, but some of my friends didn't. It probably just depends on the person at that age.

Hey, I'm 20 years old, and I need some help with something. Why can't I remember certain events in history like 9/11 or the year 2000? I always see people on other sites saying they remembered those things when they were very young, but I can't remember. I don't remember what I was doing on New Year's Eve 2000. And I don't remember what I was doing on the day of 9/11. I was like 7 or 8 when that happened. I remember the aftermath of the attacks. I remember that in 4th grade we weren't allowed to leave the state on a field trip. But that's not good enough. I don't know why I don't remember the day. Another event that I don't remember is the Columbine shooting. I know all of these events now because I hear about them everywhere, but back then I didn't know anything. And it makes me sad that I can't remember but other people can. Does anybody else not remember important events when you were a kid? I just want to know why I can't remember...


I'm only a year or so older than you and I think it's perfectly number. Not everybody can remember everything. Depends on the person. I was always the type of kid who was curious about the world and wanted to be older than I actually was so I think that's why I recall some events, but not others. Also, I came from a family that watched the evening news every day so that also can explain why I have a random memory of events. I remember from 2001 9/11 (clear as day), that plane crash in Queens, NY, the whole anthrax scare, Aaliyah's death and, rather random, the execution of Timothy McVeigh for the '95 Oklahoma City Bombings. However, from 2000, I only remember 2 things: New Year's Day (after that whole Y2K scare) and the 2000 presidential election. I also have no solid recollection of the Columbine shooting from '99, but I vividly remember JFK Jr.'s death from that same year. Funny how the mind works. ;)

I'm only a year or so older than you and I think it's perfectly number. Not everybody can remember everything. Depends on the person. I was always the type of kid who was curious about the world and wanted to be older than I actually was so I think that's why I recall some events, but not others. Also, I came from a family that watched the evening news every day so that also can explain why I have a random memory of events. I remember from 2001 9/11 (clear as day), that plane crash in Queens, NY, the whole anthrax scare, Aaliyah's death and, rather random, the execution of Timothy McVeigh for the '95 Oklahoma City Bombings. However, from 2000, I only remember 2 things: New Year's Day (after that whole Y2K scare) and the 2000 presidential election. I also have no solid recollection of the Columbine shooting from '99, but I vividly remember JFK Jr.'s death from that same year. Funny how the mind works. ;)


Oh man, I wish I remembered as much as you did, but you said your parents watched the news all the time so maybe that explains it. All I remember is kids stuff, like playing Pokemon 24/7, and watching shows on Nick or Cartoon Network.

You're 20 so you're probably born 1992 or 1993.

I don't think most people have a great memory until they're like 6. At 3, most people have blurry memories, disorganized, clips, etc, etc. But I don't think it's until about 6 that you have the ability to remember.

So you probably were 6 around 1998-2000.

It's not that you don't remember, it may be that you don't 'care'. And that's normal for little kids to not care about much anything other then school, their friends, toys, cartoons, their family, and of course themselves.

It's like when someone looks at an old photo book and looks at the pictures and they can remember where they were and what they were doing at the time the picture was taken.

It seems like much of what I remember is clarified by what my parents shot on videotape, and that includes me watching an episode of Cheers on Christmas Eve 1987 (I was just 34 months old) and saying "Cheers". You'll probably remember preschool in nice clips since that was the first time you get educated. But as you age, some of the memories you remember even when you were young will continue to fade leaving only the key ones such as death of an immediate family member, a landmark religious event such as a Bar Mitzvah or Sacrament, a notable weather event such as a blizzard or hurricane, and others that you exposed. Certain obscure movies, poor songs, and poor TV shows tend to fade quicker than the good ones, and it shows in terms of what's on classic movies/TV/oldies stations. Original archived material however makes more obscure memories clear again if discovered.

I have the same thing, At almost 40 years old I can barely remember some past events growing up and some of them get stuck in my mind that I know where or what I was doing that time of day. I think looking at old photographs help sometimes.

Hey, I'm 20 years old, and I need some help with something. Why can't I remember certain events in history like 9/11 or the year 2000?


You basically answered your question yourself. Because you're only 20 years old. My memories prior to 1995/94 are also not that clear.

I also don't think that I really know what I did on Y2K. Maybe two moments or so, that's it. Same goes for any other New Year's Eve.

I was about 10 when the American hostages were taken in Iran.  I remember grownups talking about it.  I remember the news guys talking about, but I don't really remember the event itself the way an adult would.


Same here.  The only thing I remember with clarity was being in class in 5th grade the day Reagan was shot. 

Same here.  The only thing I remember with clarity was being in class in 5th grade the day Reagan was shot.



totally remember that... and the challenger exploding (but one of my teachers had applied to be part of the challenger so it hit a little close to home for us)

totally remember that... and the challenger exploding (but one of my teachers had applied to be part of the challenger so it hit a little close to home for us)


I remember Challenger.  I was in Algebra, the principal came on the loudspeaker crying.  Our town was the home to the company that made the O-Rings.  It was a big thing for us. 

Same here.  The only thing I remember with clarity was being in class in 5th grade the day Reagan was shot.


I don't remember about Reagan being shot, saw it on the news years later when I could understand it.

When RFK got shot, Mom and dad just told me that he was an important man and that the family had already suffered enough. I could not understand this at the age or 5 and didn't understand the significance until I was older and read how JFK was killed etc..
JFK was killed when I was in diapers so I obviously remember nada about that.

I remember The Challenger Explosion 1986 and The Stock Market Crash 1987.

Hey, I'm 20 years old, and I need some help with something. Why can't I remember certain events in history like 9/11 or the year 2000? I always see people on other sites saying they remembered those things when they were very young, but I can't remember. I don't remember what I was doing on New Year's Eve 2000. And I don't remember what I was doing on the day of 9/11. I was like 7 or 8 when that happened. I remember the aftermath of the attacks. I remember that in 4th grade we weren't allowed to leave the state on a field trip. But that's not good enough. I don't know why I don't remember the day. Another event that I don't remember is the Columbine shooting. I know all of these events now because I hear about them everywhere, but back then I didn't know anything. And it makes me sad that I can't remember but other people can. Does anybody else not remember important events when you were a kid? I just want to know why I can't remember...



Memory is a really strange thing.  I was born in December 1966 and I can remember certain things going as far back as 18 months.  For example, I remember seeing 2001 at the Cinerama Theater during the summer of 1968, but I can't recall the assassinations of MLK or RFK.  I also remember the Apollo 11 Moon landing in July 1969, but not the Manson murders or Woodstock.  I remember riding in my aunty's car down to the beach where she and her twin sister (who died in 1971) would gawk at the hippies, yet I don't remember the anti-war protests at the university less than half a mile away from my house.

If you're 20 years old, then 1999 for you would be like 1972 for me.  I guess the closest thing to Columbine in 1972 would probably be Munich, and ... I have to confess I don't remember that.  I mean, I remember the iconic photograph appearing in magazines and TV in the months and years afterward, but not the actual incident itself.  I do remember the 1976 Olympics surprisingly well, though - better than even some of the recent ones.

I'm trying to imagine what it would've been like if 9/11 had happened in 1974 or 75.  I remember Nixon's resignation.  I remember all the grownups talking about Watergate.  My father was a Republican (well, he eventually turned against the GOP; I'm sure this was one factor) and my mother was a staunch Democrat, as well as a history teacher.  I recall during my first trip to Washington, DC in the summer of 1973, when we were on the roof of the Kennedy Center, how she pointed out to me the Watergate Complex and told me to remember that sight, because the President did something very wrong, and even the most powerful man in America is not above the law, and this would be his undoing.

I also remember all the brouhaha surrounding the Bicentennial in 1976, yet I have to confess that I'm having a little bit of difficulty at the moment recalling what I did on the actual day.  I think we went to the beach, but I can't swear to that.  Perhaps one day I'll come across some photograph or newspaper clipping that will jog my memory.  But it's a bit frustrating not remembering it.  I CLEARLY do remember we visited the National Parks that summer, but that was in August.  (Our Bicentennial East Coast trip was in the summer of 1975, because everyone was saying that it would be way too crowded the next summer.  Trouble is, everybody else thought that, too.  I remember that trip reasonably well, too.)

I clearly remember exactly when, where and how I heard that Elvis Presley had died almost like it was yesterday, but not the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash just a couple months after that.  Which is a bit strange considering that Lynyrd Skynyrd was probably more relevant to my classmates and me than Elvis, whom we thought of as almost ancient history.

It isn't until about 1978 when I begin to consistently remember all the major news events.

Also 2 things that also often factor in are the individual, and their family.

My parents were both avid news watchers.  And it was routine in my family to watch Walter Cronkite on the TV every night.  So I rembmer watching news about the Vietnam War on TV, but not which years they were.  I also remember watching one of the Pre-Apollo 11 clips when it was going on, along with an announcement by President Johnson (which probably makes in 1968).

The first date I can firmly match with a historic event is 1969 and Apollo 11, when I was 4.

Memory that young is a funny thing.  I remember Munich, the 1972 Presidential campaign, and several other events from the early 1970's, but it was around 1972 when I was around 7 that things first start to fall clearly into chronological order.  And people often think it is strange when I start to mention some of the early things I remember, and compare it to them where they can't remember them at all, even though they are my own age.

Like I still remember the "death watch" of both Bobby Sands and Gary Gilmore, while most my age have no idea who I am talking about.  Of course, I also do not remember a lot of "pop" things of the era, only getting into them years later.

Why is that we tend to forget some important events when we used to grow up but now we can't now that we're older? ???

Why is that we tend to forget some important events when we used to grow up but now we can't now that we're older? ???


Maybe because we get more aware of pop culture and the news. I already said that when I was a kid, all I remember watching cartoons and playing video games. I only remember the aftermath of certain events. For 9/11, I remember schools not allowing us to leave the state on field trips. Also, I remember a teacher that went to war in Iraq. For the year 2000, I don't remember the scare everyone had, all I remember is Nickelodeon stopping all their programming that day to talk about the new millennium. But I didn't care one bit, all I cared about was getting back to my shows. My memory of TV shows and video games are the most clear to me, because that was what I cared about the most. The first event that I remember clearly is probably Hurricane Katrina or the Virginia Tech massacre. Is it because I was a teen when those happened?

Maybe because we get more aware of pop culture and the news.

We lose track of what happens around us.