What are the significant world events that come into mind, or have afffected you in growing up?

Great thread idea Shirley. Definitely the recessions particularly the 80's one. I had to change my career path - I had studied as a techinical illustrator but had to change to accountancy to "make ends meet". Then in the 90's one I lost my job which prompted me to start my business.

911 has affected my eldest son - he was only 5 when we came back from school and watched events unfold on the TV. I didn't realise how much it would stick in his mind and that is why we don't watch the news any more!

I know 911 really affected Sammie. That was a very scary day. We live just outside of NYC.  When it started her dad went to pick her up from school but they were in lock-down and parents were not allowed to pick up their children. He came to my job, which just a few blocks away from the school and was crying....we were terrified. Everything was still happening at this point..it wasn't over. They eventually let the kids out.  The kids didn't understand what was happening!!

To this day, Sammie is very nervous when she hears or see planes flying overhead. You can't help but think it may happen all over again.

9/11.

The chain of events set off by an event like 9/11 is just tremendous. I worked in the specialty shop of a picture framing store (loved that job!) and after 9/11 the industry suffered as everyone cut back on "luxury" spending. We had several pay cuts in a row and then our hours were reduced and finally many (including me) were laid off.

I remember 9/11 also, I came in to see the plane go through towers and thought it was an movie until I turned up the volume on the TV set...the Mayor of Portland at the time, grew up in New York City..she was one of the first back there to see what help she could give the people...her parents escaped Eurpoe during the end of the war and came over here and worked as iternate factory workers putting her through school and through college. I have no idea if they remembered her back there with the theater production of "Cats" as her name was Vera Katz. She maintained many of her  friends back in New York in her life. One of my childhood friends went back there and into theater also after she graduated...but I don't know what her stage name is, it's been years since I've seen some of the people I graduated with in general.  

I forgot the mini-skirts and long hair. Bob, Ray , and Jason I can envison with long hair and headbands..though I kind of wnat to laugh an bit at doing so. Icould see some of the gals here in mini-skirts, they were such an rage back then..mini skirts and boots.

Remember this song..."these boots were made for walking, and walking's  what they'll do, These boots were made for walking... and they'll walk all over you."...boom boom, boom (sounds)...Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank Sinatra. Long blonde hair, mini-skirt... and high boots.

One last thing has got to be the incident of the "Bay of Pigs" with the Russians and JFK...I was really beginning to wonder if we'd end up as "toast" from an nucular exchange back then..I owe it to the Russians to been smart enough to back off, because I think he truly would of went the route. I had an Algebra teacher, she was very old then, and she said to us, now I went through the war in England..bomb raids.. and we still had school, though it was underground during WWII..... and we survived.... and we all looked at her like...not the same...just not the same.. lady.

The Cuban Missile Crisis and having missile drills at school. Being down the road from Marilyn Monroe's house when we learnt she'd been found dead. The Kennedy assasination and seeing  Lee Oswald being shot on TV. Bobby Kennedy being assasinated. Watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Watching Cassius Clay/ Mohamed Ali on the Jerry Lewis Show telling the audience what he was going to do to Sonny Liston which people didn't seem to take his poems too seriously.   Having 2 minutes silence during high school assemblies for the former school kids killed in Viet Nam.

Watergate and 9/11.  The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and a year on, swathes of devatasted areas hadn't been touched.