I Was There When...

[Malato]

Huricane Katrina , was about 100 miles from eye. Same day it made landfall got in car and drove into immediate aftermath in Biloxi to hold down my grandmas property. On the way there once you hit the west side of mobile the destruction became more and more breathtaking. Around pascagoula encountered some young guys robbing an old woman stranded on I10, uncle and dad pulled out the AR and that ended quickly. Once we got closer to the neighborhood had to get out and walk through the mud 3-4ft thick, natural gas smell was dizzying. Would start to get shocked from the down power lines in the muck, probably 2-3 structures standing as far as eye could see. Coast Guard pulling onto the beach in those aquatic vehicles. One guards women was so on edge when our dog barked at her she pissed herself. Next day hear on radio levees have broke in new Orleans, grandpa happened to live there. For 2 weeks no word at all from him, only way we knew he was alive is they had a report on CNN about the only bar open in the French qtr and there his alcoholic self was haha, he was a doctor so he set up a clinic out of the bar mostly helping infections, and diabetics if I remember correctly. Months and months of cleanup, seeing the X's on building with numbers saying how many dead where found. When you see 50+ people died in these apartments it gives you an eery feeling. Long story short hurricane Katrina I was there. Got some crazy shootout stories with looters if anyone's interested in the aftermath.

 

[White Beard]

..the day Walter Cronkite forgot what day it was....

Not in the CBS newsroom, of course, but watching the TV, when Walter said “and that’s the way it is, today...” and then his eyes got wide, and he was silent.

The screen immediately switched to the show logo, voiceover says “this has been the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite”, the logo went away, and there’s Walter, his face in his arm on the desk, shaking with laughter, pounding on the desk with a fist. Raising his head, sees the camera is active, waves it away, laughing, while the people behind him in the newsroom stand there. One guy throws a sheaf of papers into the air, walks away as they scattered and floated to the ground.

Live television...gotta love it!

 

[Breadwizard]

Not very exciting to actually be there, but I was right by the home team warm up pitching area when Dennis Martinez of the Expos pitched a perfect game against the Dodgers in 1991. One of only 23 in the history of the game (of MLB at least)

I was pretty young, so all I remember is how hot it was in LA that day, and that the game was actually pretty boring, but a good piece of history!

 

[Bush Dr]

Jimi Hendrix played on stage the first time in the UK

 

[Ace Rothstein]

We arrived at the Tropicana Las Vegas on Sunday October 1 on the wife's 60th Birthday.
We were displaced from our normal room to the 5000 wing on the South side nearest to the Route 91 Event. From our balcony overlooking the pool, we could hear music from the event and the crowd cheering.
Me and the wife were playing in the North end of the Casino not far from each other but not within sight. I went up to the room that is far down a hallway midway down the hall there is an elevator and an exit facing south about 300 feet from the event. I was heading back to the casino there was a woman in her 20s pounding on the door. another woman let her in. In my mind I was just thinking she was drunk or needed to pee or something innocent. I was way ahead of them. I was still unaware of what was occurring.
Maybe a minute went by when people began pouring through the hallway. all hysterical panic stricken, many beaten, bloodied. Most were falling apart emotional wrecks.
The common belief was that they were still under attack and that we also were under attack. People were saying that gunmen were right behind them. Wife and I reunited near the women's restroom near the North entrance it was packed with victims, my heart was pounding and my brain was throbbing. there was a cocktail waitress who was scared and since I hadn't heard any shots fired in the Casino we took her with us and sheltered there until the crowd in the hallway slowed a bit. During the whole time she carried three drinks and her tips and tray I don't think she realized she was carrying it.
Me and the wife decided to head to our room against the flow. I estimate 2,500 people stampeded thru the hall up to that point. Past the Starbucks and Deli to the Two big red doors and the 5000 wing walking fast dodging the people heading north the hall was littered with sandals, shoes, folding chairs, hats. We make it to the elevator lobby, injured people were everywhere, Up to the 3rd floor we went, door opened we find maybe 20 people hiding there. As we headed to our small room a woman asked if we had a room, we ended up taking two couples to our room locked the door then the woman just fell to pieces in the fetal position on the floor next to the nightstand.That is where she remained for the next few hours.
We put on the news and when Tropicana opened the Big Conference room at the club tower. they decided to go there. All I remember is one couple were staying at NYNY the other couple at Circus. October 1 and 2 just seemed to be one long day. I cried on Tuesday after I got some sleep.
We were never in any real danger but I still feel so bad and sad. Still 58 people lost their lives and 500 were wounded or injured.

 

[St. Phatty]

I was there when Putem started the What's Up Today thread ~

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=356610

 

[Rab.C]

I Was there when Christopher Lambert & Sean Connery had lunch on the set of the highlander movie.

 

[Crazy Chester]

When the towers went down...

When the towers went down...

I saw steam rising from lower Manhattan in a giant column months after the towers went down - during the entire winter of 2001 it could be seen on the Major Deegan Expressway driving towards Manhattan.

 

[shithawk420]

I was at the last Ozzfest when Ozzy said how good the weed were smoking smelled.also saw the nicest tits I ever seen to this day.wish we had smart phones back then

 

[buzzmobile]

December 6, 1972
I was with some friends in Cocoa Beach, FL enjoying my last few weeks as a civilian before joining the Navy. We spent the day before and most of the 6th searching for psychedelics to ingest for the Apollo 17 launch. We struck out so we settled on that good old standby- TEQUILA!


I drank plenty of it, and I felt no pain. It was a great party and I stumbled around socializing and viewing the rocket through multiple telescopes set up in the area. Launch time was scheduled a little before 10 PM. The countdown was moving right along until it didn't. A technical glitch caused a HOLD that lasted longer than my tequila fueled activity did. Yes, I found a nice soft grassy spot and mean ole Ms. Tequila put me to sleep. I must have slept for a long time when I began to hear some conversations filtering into my brain. "Yeah, he's been laying there for about two hours." I knew I had to rally so I struggled to a sitting position and focused my eyeballs. I felt the 'second wind' and got right back into the party.

It was near midnight and then the clock rolled over to 12/7/1972. At 12:33AM NASA mashed the ignitor button and midnight turned into daylight. We were set up across the Banana River from the launch pad and it was like a sunrise. The wildest thing I remember was seeing three distinct dark bands racing silently across the water towards us. The bands were sound waves disturbing the surface of the river and as they passed by us we were thumped by the sputtering roar of the rocket motors. Along the entire shoreline thousands of people were Whooping and Hollering as we watched what turned out to be the last manned Moon launch and the only nighttime Saturn 5 launch.