For people my age, the question invariably changes to "Where were you when the
O.J. police chase happened?" Just as anyone who was conscious when
Kennedy was shot can tell you exactly where they were, I have yet to meet anyone who didn't know where they were when O.J. jumped in that white
Ford Bronco and began a low speed chase down the highway before surrendering outside his house in
Brentwood. It by far surpasses the similar question "Where were you when the
Challenger exploded?", because most people I know were in
elementary school when that happened.
For the record, I was watching people play basketball behind my high school when O.J. was riding down the freeway. When we found out from some kids who were watching the interrupted Knicks game, we all raced home to be a part of history. How sad is that?
As for J.F.K., I don't even think it was fair to say I was an itch, or a thought, or a stain... since it happened 13 years before I was born.