10 years ago today...

[Jeff]

On April 20, 1999 14 students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado were killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in history.

A few months ago, I posted a 9/11 thread to test the theory that anyone can remember exactly what they were doing when something tragic happened, but most of the people in that thread just said that they tell the story every year. Fair enough, but can you remember where you were when you first heard about the Columbine shooting?

I was coming home from school. I had just walked in the door when my mom came up to me and told me to look at the TV. She said that this would be that one major event in my lifetime that I would never forget. Of course, then came 9/11 and the Virginia Tech shooting, but I can still remember this.

[DarkestLight]

At this time, people got flack for mentioning it. 10 years ago, today. I was at a track meet-yep. Bout to win a medal, prolly silver, and the race was called off because they were worried about copycats trying to disrupt school events. Twas a touchy day.

[Heald]

To be honest, I think I was too young for it to be big enough news in the UK for me to hear about it (I would have been 11 at the time). Truth be told, the first I heard of it when I was like 15, when I first watched Bowling for Columbine.

[MToolen]

I, too, don't really remember that day happening. I would've been in first grade at the time and the curriculum wasn't exactly, uh, a brain-buster. It's crazy how much events like that have changed our society, though. Just how much safer we feel we have to be, how many bad things we have to prepare for; it may be necessary, but it's also disheartening to always feel threatened by that, even in the back of one's head.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

I don't remember a thing. Or I only have a picture in my mind of me watching the news that day or day after that, but nothing more. I remember the 11th of September better. I had had my hair cut the day before and we had school photography that day.

On a related note, we had two days like that here in Finland. The 7th of November 2007 a school shooting in Jokela and the 23rd of September 2008 a school shooting in Kauhajoki. Don't remember a thing about those days either, except watching the news.

I rather remember days something happier happened. Like the 10th of May 2003 when I had the only date in my life or the 31st of October 2008 when I bought my Nintendo Wii.

[Telume]

I was in school, I didn't even get the news until I got home, but I remember while it was happening it created quite a panic in my school. The pretty much cancelled all activities... I think we were supposed to have our "field day" that day and they cancelled it because of that. I was too young I think to know what was going on, but after I got a little older I understood what had actually happened.

[Dark-San]

I was 15, a third year into my secondary school life. At that time, the only thing I was interested in are studies, assessments and tests coupled with a few sessions of LAN games like Half Life, Team Fortress and Counterstrike. I have no time spared to think about what happens outside of my school. Much less to say about the world. ~.~; One word to describe me was ignorant. I was still indeed a frog being trapped in a well, a small tiny comfort world of my own.

[Magmar]

I was 12 and on my way to the orthodontist's office. I had broken my braces and needed to get them cemented back to my teeth, lol, and I remember it coming on the radio. I was also three time zones ahead, so it was late afternoon here I believe, and it was a chilly day.

[Little_Pikachu]

Not sure where I was to be honest. In 1999 I was in college so at that time of day I was probably at home, playing computer. I do remember hearing about it at the time though.

Who remembers where they were for the Dunblane shootings though? Anyone even remember? 13th March 1996, 16 5/6 year olds and one teacher were killed then the shooter killed himself. I only significantly remember where I was when that happened as I was off school sick that day and heard about it on the news when it happened.

[Heald]

L_P: I cannot remember hearing about this news on the day. Again, I only heard about it years later when I was researching UK Hand-Gun laws for a Politics paper and this featured prominently.

Scarily, because much of my family lives in Scotland, my cousin was in the Scout Troop that the perpetrator of the Dunblane shootings led (and was dismissed from, thus the catalyst for the shootings in the first place) and my Aunt and Uncle knew the man.

[Knight of Time]

Who remembers where they were for the Dunblane shootings though? Anyone even remember? 13th March 1996, 16 5/6 year olds and one teacher were killed then the shooter killed himself. I only significantly remember where I was when that happened as I was off school sick that day and heard about it on the news when it happened.

I remember a fair bit about this story, I think the shooter's name was Thomas Hamilton, am I right?

This story was the cover story for one of the issues of Time magazine, truly an awful story, then again, the Columbine shootings were awful, too. I was only in the tenth grade at the time of the Columbine shootings, and I don't recall any of my second semester teachers around that time making any mention of the shootings that day in Littleton. Nonetheless, all the shootings that have been inspired by the one at Columbine have basically been more blows to the school systems of not just the United States, but of the whole world, I mean, will schools ever get themselves protection against shooters? It's hard to see it happening, but for the sake of the families of the young people who were killed in all these school shootings, I can only hope that the schools will have higher security, just so shootings can be easier to prevent. It would truly hurt to see another shooting inspired by the Columbine one.

But in regards to the Dunblane shootings, I would have been in the eighth grade at the time, as it wasn't too long before that story appeared in Time magazine around then.

[Asilynne]

I dont remember what I was doing when this happened, I was a freshman in HS and I was always in my own world >.> I do remember what I was doing when VA tech shooting happened though, I was at my dads house planning my birthday party when it came on the news >.< everyone gets squirrely during that week in April it seems >.> lots of shootings and various other things seem to happen in mid to late april, have you noticed?

[Katie]

I don't remember it very well, I was only 11. But I do remember my mom coming home pretty upset, saying "something bad happened today.." then explaining it to me before we watched the news. I wasn't really affected by it, TV mentions murder all the time! Quite sad in hindsight, but there are tons more events since then that blow Columbine out of the water. I do wonder if many of the shootings since then would have happened if Columbine hadn't.

[PancaKe]

I was 10. And I dont remember hearing it on the news. Doesn't mean it didn't make Australian news, just means that I didn't hear it if it did make Aussie news.

I first heard about it when i was 15 and I read "Rachel's Tears" and then shortly after "She Said Yes" - biographies of two girls killed in the shootings. Good reads. I recommend them to anyone.

[Crystal Mew]

I was 13 and the only thing I remember was watching the news that day and seeing it. Pretty sad stuff.

Flyleaf also sings a song called Cassie about that girl who said yes.

[homeofmew]

I was in school probably, but I saw it on TC later that day I remember what I was doing on 9/11/01 better.