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I've been wrestling with this for ages, & the thread will likely bomb, but it's like an itch that needs scratching, so here goes.  

Here's my initial Top Ten, but  fancy it will change regularly, as I am reminded of others by further posts.

Real life news is just so fascinating, & in many of these cases, the original story was supplemented by books, tv series or films.

It is almost in order of how I rated them, but the overall list is the main thing.  

It is NOT "most important", just the ones that caught my imagination most.

Watergate

Falklands War

O J Simpson trial

Great Train Robbery

JFK assassination

9/11

Lennon's death

1966 World Cup

Diana's death.

President Clinton & "that woman"


Short-listed, but missed....



The troubles in Ireland (may have to find room for that)

The Aberfan disaster

John Stonehouse, MP (the real life inspiration for Reggie Perrin).

The Torrey Canyon

The Miners Strike

its tough to throw out too many from your list but i think (like them or not) you'd have to consider Thatcher and Blair as the two major prime ministers of our times and

a) the fall of Mrs Thatcher

b) the Iraq War/WMDs/subsequent fall out

would have to be on the short-list

In no particular order.

Zeebrugge ferry disaster
Lesley Whittle murder
Susie Lamplugh disappearance
The Miners Strike
Falklands War
9/11
O J Simpson trial
Falklands War
Iranian Embassy siege
Diana's death

Now that's a great list, & you've got the idea perfectly.

Iranian Embassy Siege, have to add that to my shortlist.

Yes, two astonishing stories, but they never really bit me.

One which I did consider, falls under your "Blair/WMD/fallout" heading, was the death of David Kelly. I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but that one took some believing.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kelly_(weapons_expert)

Damn! just noticed I got Falklands war in twice. Newly amended list;

Zeebrugge ferry disaster
Lesley Whittle murder
Susie Lamplugh disappearance
The Miners Strike
Falklands War
9/11
O J Simpson trial
HIV / AIDS
Iranian Embassy siege
Diana's death

I've just remembered another.

Jimmy Saville.

I guess Rolf Harris, Max Clifford & DLT all fall under the same sub-group. Who could have ever imagined Rolf Harris would be sent to prison?

Tiananmen Square
Moon landing
Cuba
Diana
Vietnam
9/11
Hillsbourgh
Iraq war
Jfk
Challenger explosion
Terry Waite
Berlin Wall
Release of Mandela

Moon landing Cuba and Vietnam before my time obv but still made an impact

Sheesh, some good ones there Jim - how did I miss Hillsborough & Berlin Wall.

But you are only allowed 10, & you have listed 14. So you gotta remove 4......be interesting to see what you remove.

PS - lol @ "before my time". YBA.

Concrete was invented in 1824. Just misses your list

Not at all, "The 10 Most compelling inventions of our lifetime" is a separate thread I have in mind, unless someone starts it first. I have an absolute, stone cold, can't lose "Number 1" in that list.

Ha was surprised you missed Berlin wall.

I'm currently at

Berlin Wall
9/11
Tiananmen Square
Diana
Japan eartquake/nuclear meltdown
Clinton
Iraq
Hanging Chads
Boxing Day Tsunami
Katrina

Crikey and who could forget the Birmingham tornado

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Birmingham_tornado

What a great idea for a thread;
To put some context around mine, I am 40, and it seems most of my memories are of being young and sitting in front of Breakfast TV.  None of my "Top 10" are post the internet age which surprises me, considering the amount of time I sit around reading total crap about stories that have no bearing on my life.  Not exactly much positivity in my list either.

In no particular order . . . .

Diana's Death

9/11

Piper Alpha

Miners Strike

Challenger Explosion

OJ Simpson Car chase

Wako

Lockerbie

Berlin Wall coming down

Ethiopian Famine/Live Aid

Some good ones there, Wako, Berlin Wall, Lockerbie & hanging chads, especially the last-named. Only in America....

Lots of "I remember where I was " moments listed. I would have to include Dunblane killings and Iranian Embassy siege in that category.

9/11 for me

Was a strange time of my life my mum had just been diagnosed my dad has just left her and i was at college unsure what to do.

Plenty of tears that day remember watching the whole thing unfold on the news with my mum.

Interesting stuff

9/11
Falklands
First gulf war
Diana
Vicious/spungeon
Heysel
Berlin Wall
Kobain
Tsunami
Brixton riots

Mine as they come to me. A lot of these will be not just the story but because I remember the coverage as well

Space Shuttle Explosion – this happened about 4.30pm in the afternoon our time so in the days before 24 hour news channels the first news of it was on Newsround, meaning that (probably almost uniquely) this was a news story that a lot of people first heard about from their kids (‘Mum, come in here quick – the space shuttle’s blown up’)

9/11 –I was off work that day so spent the entire day in front of the TV, a very surreal feeling in that I wasn’t quite sure what I was watching – in scale just so much bigger than a car bomb, shooting, or any other previous terrorist attack, plus it was happening live on the TV.

7/7 – At work in Camden when stories start emerging of power failures on the tube, people coming in late (‘Had to walk the last two stops – all the tubes have stopped running’). We then started wandering down to the building cafeteria (as they had a TV) as it quickly filled up with people from the surrounding buildings.

Princess Diana – A very terse short news broadcast (‘The Princess of Wales has been involved in a road accident in Paris – no further details’ kind of thing) then not a single mention for over an hour. Even then, I’m sure the general reports were that she was injured but not badly, so I went to bed thinking the story was over. Woke up the next morning, turned the radio on and they’re playing the national anthem before the news…

Berlin Wall – Amazing to think that the US had no idea how close to collapse their big enemy was, it took them completely on the hop.

Hillsborough/Bradford fire – Coming so close together, with news coming in on Grandstand. Felt so close to home for anyone who went to watch football.

1997 General Election – I’d only ever known a Conservative government. Blair coming to power was like a big party – it was all going to change now. A real mood of general optimism among people.

1991 Gulf War – The first war that took place live on TV. And yet it began with my dad complaining that they interrupted the film he was watching.

Boston Marathon Bombing/Raoul Moat – two separate stories, but both revolving around the live TV coverage of murderers on the run.

Jimmy Savile – In UK terms, probably the starting point for what will be one of the biggest stories in our lifetime, assuming it all comes out (Ted Heath the biggest one so far, but so much more still to come).

Don't really follow the news at all, but these two are ones that I definitely followed closely.

9/11 - Was working with the marines at Nelson, and ended up in the Senior Rates mess with my boss watching it all for hours. Very harrowing, and hard to comprehend just what we were seeing.

Iraq War (2003) - Was just coming to the end of training @ Chicksands, and it was being mooted by some of the senior staff members that some of the school may end up being needed out there, which definitely had a few of us giving it 5p/50p!

Never heard this expression before but I instantly knew what you meant :)

Bit different to most of the lists, I never used to follow the news at all but these are the stories that I remember taking the time to read up on...

Madeline McCann
Raol Moat
Capture of Saddam
James Bulger
Soham murders
Death of Jean Charles de Menezes
9/11
7/7
Diana
Michael Jackson

9/11 (was at secondary school when this happened, remember the head teacher popping his head in the classroom saying what had happened, the severity only really registered when I got home and put the TV on)

Diana (I wanted to play football in the street the day of her funeral, my Dad wouldn't let me.....good job it still doesn't bother me....)

Saville

Boxing day tsunami.

London riots in 2011.

Hysteria surrounding the new millennium.

Japanese tsunami.

Disappearance (murder?) of Claudia Lawrence....her house was 5 minutes from where I grew up, and stuff like that rarely happens in York. I was walking home from a night out not long after she vanished, it was maybe 3am. A young lady approached me and asked which way I was walking, and I pointed and said that direction. She said she was going in the same direction and did I mind if she walked with me as she was nervous given what had happened (her student accommodation was right next to Claudia's house). Not often a female feels safer walking the streets with a complete male stranger in the dead of night than on her own.

MH370 - bit of an aviation geek and this is still ongoing. How does a plane vanish?

Man City takeover...again, another one that was difficult to comprehend at the time just how massive this was for English football. I started a new job the week following the takeover, and of course my new colleagues were dubious when we talked football and I told them I was a City fan. I enjoy it when people raise an eyebrow these days, but I do understand why.

In my lifetime the two that immediately jump out at me because they dominated the news for weeks after were 9/11 and Dianna's Death

1969 landing on the moon must of been pretty big at the time

OMG. News stories are like a drug for me, I am endlessly fascinated by them. I only fear dying because I'll miss what happens next,

I don't think I can even attempt to whittle it down to 10, but I will have a try.

Number one. WWll. What a tale that is. I've been stories about it since I was a boy and I'm still astounded by them.


The Blitz.
The Battle of Britain.
The war in the Pacific.
The convoys and the Hunter killer submarines.
The war in the desert.
Monty and Rommel.
The resistance.
The spies.
The code breakers.
The dam Busters.
The Japs and the jungle.
The POWs.
The Holocaust.
The Dunkirk evacuation.
The D Day Landings.
Hiroshima....

great list Tom...certainly has made me think

That's only number one on my list, lol.

Number two.

9,11.

What a story that was to watch in real time. My daughter Sadie and I were felling a tree for a customer and he called us into his living room. We sat there, father daughter and a total stranger open mouthed and absolutely transfixed.

The aftermath of 9,11 has affected, and will continue to affect all our lives. So many unpalatable laws have made it on to the statute books under the guise of anti-terrorism. So much of our freedom and privacy has been lost.  

The world will never be the same.

Probably belongs in Tighty's TMI thread ;D

Death of Elvis - 1st real time I had seen my old man with a tear in his eye watching a news item.

9/11 - Watched the day unfold with colleagues at work. At one stage, all 20 ish of us had all stopped work and watched it in horror around the one television we had at work.

Hillsborough - Had family and friends in attendance on the day (all thankfully were safe), and was physically shook up watching it.

Bradford Fire - At the height of the time I was an avid football supporter (home and away). I remember Stoke playing Bradford shortly after at their temp home of Elland Road and the unity between fans, plus the large contributions given by all, was inspiring.

Miners Strike & the aftermath - Affected more families than reported IMO. The divide nationally & locally was intense.

Death of Dianna - remember falling out with the then girlfriend at the time when she was talking over the news flash in the morning. She was adamant it was the Queen Mother who had died and didn't see the big deal with it.

Falklands War - Amazing stories/pictures coming on the news daily. Again, the whole country was watching it with some having loved ones/family involved.

Boxing Day Tsunami - Was on holiday at the time in the Canary Islands. Flying home just after, there was a somber mood everywhere, from cabin crew to passengers. It didn't feel like the 'festive' season at all

Death of Michael Jackson - Not a particular fan, but was on a night out when news filtered through. He was a true pop icon to some, and to see the upset this news caused was eye opening.

The Royal Wedding - A bit of backward thinking here. The old man thought this would be saturated on the news all day, so decided we should all swerve it and go to what should have been a quiet day at Alton Towers. FAIL. The place was packed with folks with the same idea. Nearly ever vendor/ride assistant also had a portable television on view too.



Good thread.When people are rushing around or are busy all day, this makes you think & remember
  

Funny I thought you were younger.

Diddn't read OP properly.

I remember there being an issue with Iraq and the family was watching the news. My uncle told me there would be a war for sure and that my dad would have to go and fight even though he wasn't in the Army and I burst into tears at which point my mum started telling off her younger brother. I eagerly watched the news hoping tensions would die down.

Princess Diana (first time I ever really remember watching the news for hours).

9/11

7/7  - Was on holiday in Malta with friends and was trying to contact my mum for hours who works in the city. Remember the sense of relief when my dad called to say she was fine.

Lee Huntley

Jamie Bulger story.

When I had a Chelsea season ticket and would go every week pre Abrahamovich I was about 10 - 11 years old and the news broke that Mathew Harding died in a plane crash. I was absolutely gutted as I dreamed of being someone like him when I was older if I didn't get to become a footballer then the second best thing would be being mega rich and giving money to Chelsea to buy good players ;)

London Riots.

Lee Rigby/Ian Huntley?

Ian Huntley and the Soham murders!

Who is Lee Rigby?

9/11

Princess Di

7/7

Madelaine Mccann

The Paedo Brigade

Iraq/War on Terror

Smoking Ban in 2007

Michael Jackson (and his death)

Nelson Mandela in general.

2012 Olympics????

Soldier who got his head chopped off in Woolwich a couple of years ago.

In no particular order

Gorbachev taking over in Russia - appeared to signal start of the end of the USSR and potentially a safer future

Cantona leaving old traffold - just in complete shock thought he would be there for years.

Diana - waking up hungover at a house party in cambridge and unable to find Rawhide on tv due to all these presenters dressed in black, took quite a while to work out what was going on.

Thatcher coming to power - first female PM etc

Obama coming to power - first African American President

9/11 - sat in a clients offices supposed to be working while everyone was listening to the radio and wondering what in the world was going on

Rolf Harris etc - just all those childhood memories being ripped apart and thinking that' s CD not going to be playing again.

July 7the Bombings - just felt like it could tear apart the country if it had carried on.

Iraq/Afghanistan - Why do we never seem to learn

Falklands war - seemed to come from nowhere, honestly who had heard of the Falklands before the invasion.

9/11

Diana's death

Belin Wall

Michael Jackson death

Opening of the Channel tunnel

7/7

Capture of Saddam Hussein

Poll tax riots

Murder of Carl Bridgewater

Arrest of the Yorkshire Ripper

There are many others but some of which, i.e London Riots , happened while I was living abroad so didnt see as much media coverage as I would have being in the UK

Good thread though.
Thanks Dewi

Growing up in Dublin, the items that dominated the news were often different to here, as a lot happened in Ireland during those years. I have put links, as some of these incidents won't have been such big news here, or else will be forgotten:

The Monasterevin siege 1975. The whole country followed it every day. It was five weeks from the kidnapping until the end of the siege.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/21/newsid_2489000/2489455.stm

Burning of the British Embassy 1972
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/2/newsid_2758000/2758163.stm

Moscow Coup 1991 - Gorbachev kidnapped, Yeltsin on top of a tank.

Tienanmen Square 1989

Bobby Sands' hunger strike 1981 - he was the first and best-known of the hunger-strikers and people followed the progress every day. Then we got used to it and the others dying made little impact.

Watergate and Nixon resigning 1974

The Dublin Bombs 1972/73  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_and_1973_Dublin_bombings

9/11

The Ballsbridge Riot 1981. Sorry - this was also an attack on the British Embassy, in which the police held off a crowd of 15,000, intent on destroying the Embassy for a second time.
http://www.rte.ie/tv/scannal/ballsbridgeriots.html

The gradual collapse of Communism across Europe 1989-91.

How could you forget the moving statues?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_statues

Bloody hell, forgot all about that Craig. It happened in Kingswinford where I was born and bred. I personally didn't know him but had friends who went to scouts with him.

7/7 - I was in Portugal at the time which made it seem all the more unreal

Jackson dying

2012 Olympics - I think will always be my generations 1966

For some reason losing to Germany in Italia 90 is one of those things I'll always remember

Hillsborough

Black Friday - obv only a small news story globally but obviously had the biggest direct impact on my life

Diana

Newtown shootings - I have a friend from newtown who knew a few of the people who died, so I had an inside perspective on it

Maybe Charlie Hebdo. Free speech is one of the most important liberties for me and I was also stuck in a hotel at the time so I watched lots of it


All of them combined still are nothing compared to 9/11. The most disturbing, game changing, remarkable and action movie like thing I've ever seen reported.

The stock market crash, or the big shopping day?

"Black Monday" (1987) had far more impact on me, in fact I should have included it in my list. It was on the Monday following the weekend during greatest weather storm in my lifetime arose, the so-called "Great Storm of 1987". I had a lot of money in shares, & I used to dial a number, which had my portfolio pre-sorted, to see how it was getting on. Must have dialled that number 500 times that day even though the service was disabled as the Market closed. ,


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_(1987)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Storm_of_1987


The subprime crisis was a corker of a story, too, & so many great books arose from that. 

I must be misremembering Diana because I never thought it would make even 5% of people's top tens...

Stuff like Berlin Wall is obv big for me, but I was too young to really remember it. Having spent a lot of time in East Germany and now a former Communist country, it's even bigger than I thought it was. Such a huge moment, even if David Hasselhoff caused it(ish).

I wonder how many of these incidents will still be considered 'important' if we were to zoom forward 100years. Can't see a vote in 2115 on 'most important events of the latter half of the 20th century' having Diana in the top 100.

The ongoing paedophile revelations about the powerful in the 60s, 70s and 80s are grimly fascinating because the blind eyes which were turn at the time are astounding.

But even more appaling is the cover up which has happened since,

Do that many people in power have that little morals?

I would have bet good money that EVERY list would include Diana, & 9/11. In fact, one list excluded Diana, everyone else included it, & everyone included 9/11.

It may be different for you if you were living overseas. Here, Diana was on the front pages almost every single day, and then, instantly, we awoke one Sunday morning to find she was dead. Just like that. It was the sheer finality, the shock.

If we separate emotion from any these stories, the Diana death was a stunning story by any yardstick. Her marriage to a Prince, the very obvious clues that the marriage was failing, her TV interview when she virtually admitted it, then, enter, none other than Mohammed Al Fayad's son, & a whirlwind romance. So it was all going to end happily. Until that momentous day, & that fearful crash in that Paris subway. And, just like that, it was over.

I held no great fascination for her, but I watched every moment of that funeral, especially the cortege, as it went through towns & villages. Unforgettable.      

I can't imagine any funeral in the UK - in my lifetime - attracted more flowers, wreaths, mourners & watchers. The Great British Silent Majority spoke.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2007/08/31/Style/Images/PHO-07Aug30-86262.jpg)



(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcShq7Jz1gO5WnIzKDoGQe0DtyqU0kS_fTCFbjjR5kr1Putdto5a)

  

Think it also marked a turning point in Britain when, almost overnight, the country forgot about stiff upper lips and became somewhat maudlin about death. I'd like the stiff upper lip back please

Facebook being founded.

Fwiw Tikay I was only 11 (and in UK!) at time of Diana death and remember it being on TV all the time and it all seemed a bit much.

Like, I'm not saying it wasn't tragic or even important, but I don't see any lasting effect even today, whereas not case with 9/11, Berlin Wall, etc etc.

I'm not trying to be contrarian, but I think that Diana's death is the most over romanticised thing ever.

Obviously I take a similar view but it was momentous and somehow had an incredible shock value even if it's lasting impact is minimal

I take that point, I definitely concede that it was first time I'd seen wall to wall coverage of anything.

I remember, rather churlishly, I suppose, suggesting that perhaps other things were happening in the world and that wall to wall coverage wasn't exactly required...

I guess that's the moment I learned the power of the media, that and Blair sweeping to power (sun wot won it).

This is a list of events during my lifetime where I can recall where I was at the time I heard about them. Some, although not all, were events that changed the world.

JFK being assassinated. I was nine at the time and didn't understand the significance. 52 years on I wonder if the truth is that being shot gave JFK a better type of immortality that he would have received had he lived.

England won the World Cup. It was a good time to be alive and to be an English Football Fan.

First Moon landing. I sat and listened to it on the radio at Boys' Brigade camp in Devon. Did the landing change the world? In the sense that it suggested that so much was possible, yes I think it did.

Aberfan, the tragedy affected so many people and the longer term impact was the efforts to ensure it couldn't happen again.

Munich Olympics, the day that terrorism crossed a line.

Black Power salutes at Mexico City. I was 16 and not particularly political or aware but it led me to learn more about the situation in other countries.

The Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four being released. Turned out our British Coppers weren't that wonderful after all

The Brighton Grand Hotel bombing.

9/11, ldo

7/7 and the subsequent shooting of Jean Charles de Menenez and the confirmation that the position hadn't changed that much since the Birmingham and Guildford issues.


PS I know exactly what I was doing on that Sunday morning when the world began to lose it's sanity. I was sitting on my sofa cursing the fact that the repeat of MotD wasn't on.
I am still at a loss to understand the mass hysteria that erupted in the weeks after her death.

Diana was a perfect storm. It was the end of the stiff upper lip version of the royal family, she was in many ways the antithesis of that, it was a shocking accident, it was a time when the papparazi finally got taken to task and probably most significantly it was the start of 24 hour news coverage, so it was really really in your face.

Was also probably the start of false public outrage which is now part and parcel of life as we know it.

I was genuinely gutted when it happened, but after a week or two of this, I became very cynical about the whole thing:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Kk6yEXIxc

Didn't mind their stuff to be honest, thought they did wonders for The Eurovision Song Contest

Jesus Barry i watched 45s of that video and wanted to simultaneously throw up and throw my phone out the window screaming.

London riots - surreal atmosphere and glued to TV
Dunblane Massacre - sat in CDT class and teacher tore us a new one for acting up sighting how our gripes pailed in comparison to what he had just heard.
9/11 - just staggering destruction
Saddam's capture and death - he was like the road runner, never getting caught throughout my life, could not believe they got him
Scottish Referendum - never been so actively involved in anything political
Diana's death - very odd Sunday morning, difficult national atmosphere
Saville - such a huge unravelling of all we knew and trusted
7/7 - I was in London working and again locally it was hugely troubling
Desert Storm - first brush with war in my memory, watched reports all morning every day
Forth Rail Bridge Centenary - strange moment, I remember being very young and crying at the realisation that I likely wouldn't live to see the next one. Was a very striking moment from my youth.

Here's mine, perhaps a little different to others. I've taken it from a personal perspective and the things that gripped/entertained me the most, not necessarily the biggest stories. In no particular order..........

1. 9/11 - no explanation necessary.
2. Cantona Kung Fu kicks a Crystal Palace fan - I always wondered what the gentlemen in question had said to Eric. I doubt it was the 'Unlucky Mr Cantona, looks like an early bath for you' that he claimed.
3. Dolly the Sheep - absolutely mind-blowing to me and one of the most significant Scientific stories of mine or anyone else's generation.
4. The 'God' particle/Hadron collider malarkey - must have been asked about this more than anything else in my teaching career. Where Science meets Science fiction and thus intoxicating to me.
5. Michael Jackson's death. Always found him a tragic human being touched with genius.
6. The Chilean miners: purely for the drama!
7. Mandela and the end of Apartheid.
8. Terry Waite - as a young boy who very much loved his Mum, Dad and brother, I couldn't comprehend the idea of not being allowed to go home and see your family. This was probably the first news story that really gripped me and I would sneak looks at the newspapers when my parents weren't looking and flick the morning cartoons over to BBC news.
9. The Columbine School massacre. I'm not too proud to admit it moved me to tears.

And finally, a bit out there but hey.
10. The 2005 Ashes series. Probably the sporting event that most captivated me during my life. I read everything and anything I could get my hands on and enjoyed every single second of that series.

Not in order;

Hillesborough
Heysel
Bradford Fire
Diana's death
Jamie Bulger
Holly Chapman and Jessica Wells
9/11
Zebrugge
Katrina
7/7

Yorkshire Ripper
Piper Alpha
Diana
Boxing Day
Bradford FC fire. My Sister got married that day.  
Falklands
OJ. watched the trial every day.
Miners Strike.
Tikay 11/7/5 Cashes WSOP
Hillsborough. Wish it was not on my list but it just won't go away.
Jeremy Bamber. I used to phone the Scrubs asking for him. Just to make his girlfriend who I worked with happier. Mad I know. But true!

Regards

M
 

I did not read anyone's posts. Now I have,

I think for the 45+ age range we need 15 picks just to cover the huge events

Can't believe what I missed!

Regards

M

   

who is jeremy bamber?

Convicted of murdering his family in 1986 although always denied it.

Can't believe i missed MH370, probably in my top 3 let alone top 10

What an utterly brilliant idea for a thread!

Most of the major events have been covered and they, of course, appear in my own list.  The two defining news articles in my lifetime were 9/11 and the death of Diana.

As a bit of alternative reading, I submit my alternative list!

1981 - Diana Wedding

I have very vague memories of this, but I do remember my Mum and gran being completed enthralled by the fairytale princess in that dress. It sat on my mum’s lap and asked her what I needed to do to be a princess. My dad got me a drill and took me on Turf Moor instead. I still remembered that wedding whilst I watched her funeral procession with that very same family. Life is so fragile.

1988 - Lockerbie Bombings

Again, I was pretty little, but I do remember being completed terrified that a plane could just be blown up over Scotland. The stiff-upper-lip of English news was usually quite reserved, but I remember hearing stories of bodies falling out of the sky, still strapped into their airline seats (but only after the 9pm watershed). My life-long fear of flying started at this moment.

1989 - Hillsborough

To any football fan (and even in these very early years I was already going to Turf Moor) this was huge. But the main reason that I have included it is down to the oddness of its reporting. It was back at a time when we heard the news at allotted times of 6pm and 9pm, unless there was a matter of national concern that warranted a newsflash. This did not warrant a newsflash and so most of the country were blissfully unaware of the tragedy until the first news broke at 6pm. Put that into the context of today, where the news would be broken by people tweeting live from the scenes.

1993 - Lorena Bobbett

Ah. The name to strike fear into the heart of every man. This news story broke when I was still in school and I just remember it being the first time the girls and boys openly talked about “boy’s parts”. We giggled.

1995 - OJ Simpson gets away with murder

I had already decided that I wanted to be a lawyer by the time this news broke. It was the first time that such a courtroom spectacle was broadcast around the world and we were enthralled. Trials like that just didn’t happen in Britain. The sheer injustice of the verdict made me want to change the world.

1996 - Take That

Could you ever have imagined helplines needing to be set up by the Samaritans as a result of a boyband separating?! Well in February 1996 that is precisely what happened. Teenage girls lined the streets in tears and girls were put on suicide watch. Watch out for the repeat performance when One Direction go their separate ways!

1996 - Euro ’96 and Gazza

This was the summer of my life. I was living in London in the middle of an intense heatwave, with the Chris Evan’s breakfast show and the Boo Radleys providing the soundtrack. And our beloved country was hosting the Euros. We smashed Scotland. We laughed at Holland. We got to the semis. We lost to Germany on penalties. We cried. Gazza cried. Trafalgar Square got battered.

1997 - Louise Woodward and Matthew Eappen

This case shocked the UK. Baby faced au pair Louise Woodwood was convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of toddler Matthew Eappen, who was in her care at the time. She was later named the most notorious criminal convicted in Massachusetts. I still believe to this day that she was innocent. I continued to want to change the world.

1997 - “I’m flying Jack"

Titanic.  The launch of Kate Winslet’s career. The most incredible soundtrack in movie history. And Leo (sigh). I don’t recall a movie having quite the impact that this did at the time. It smashed all box office records ever and is still, to this day, one of my most favourite movies.

2009 - Obama v Clinton

I am completely obsessed with American politics. And in the race to the White House, it became clear that we could either have the first African American president, or the first female president. We may well have the alternate in the next general election and I cannot wait to see it all unfold. I am planning on being in Washington when the election results break!

9/11. Was impactful I remember clearly as when it came  on the telly I was examining someone's accounts of a business i was thinking of buying and we just stopped and watched the small portable tv in their office... The video of seeing that plane hit the tower will always be vivid in my mind... I still have the telegraph from the next day with very vivid pictures including the falling man.. Still sends shivers..

Soham murders ... Remember sitting there on the Sunday afternoon glued to sky news ..seemed to strike a chord with me for some reason

Not sure when it was but I remember because of a very vivid image.... Two undercover British soldiers killed by mob in N Ireland..just remember seeing one of them dragged through the window of his car... Chilling

Diana... Remember the wife waking me on the Sunday morning and telling me..thought she was winding me up for half an hour

Maddie... Apart from the obvious I have some strong views regarding this and the parents

Gulf war... Watching the Baghdad City line light up with the bombs falling

Nick leeson... As a former city boy was fascinated by this and the demise of an institution

Fred and rose west

Death of Freddie mercury... Not just the death of an icon but bringing a real awareness of the AIDS virus which at the time was being scaremongered along the lines of the bubonic plague

Falklands particularly the sinking of the Sheffield and belgrano particularly was it simon west? and his his horrific injuries

Suprised no one has mentioned the Ethiopian famine and Band Aid

Diana and 9/11 would be the biggest ones but I was too young to really get the significance of those events at the time (8 and 12)

The beginning of the 'War on Terror' which sounds so comical now. ITV news interrupted Stars In Their Eyes to show video of nighttime bombing raids.

7/7 was probably the most profound for me, I was commuting from Kent for work experience in London. Police everywhere blocking off roads, panic all over the radio and the phone networks were swamped so you couldn't call anyone. All in all a pretty nervy day.

Alexander Litvinenko

Execution of Saddam

Michael Jackson

Paris Concorde crash

Launch of the Euro

Deepwater Horizon

Fukushima Earthquake

Yes, you are right of course. Don't know what I was thinking of.

I should have left out the collapse of Communism in Europe to make room for the moving statues.

All of the ones mentioned. Some great shouts there, I can't possibly choose 10.

One I would like to add though is the ash cloud that grounded all the planes. Can you imagine what that cost?

Also, I didn't realise it until now but Michael Jackson barely registered with me because my dad died on the same day.

In no particular order

9/11
Boxing day tsunami
Japan earthquake
Nikki conroy murder
Hillsborough
Lockerbie
Oj car chase
Fred West
Madelaine mccann
Flight mh370

Pretty much agree with the majority of these from people my age.  Just watching sky news and the smoking ban being 8 years ago i was surprised no one mentioned the smoking ban as it really has changed life for the better.

In no particular order, but certainly never to be forgotten by me as a 38 yr old.

9/11       

I just happened to have sky news on while having a cuppa, only to see the 2nd plane hit live on air, will never forget that.

Hillsborough

I was 13 at the time and my dad would not let me go.  Although I'd have been in the other end, I am glad I did not have to witness it in real life.

Diana's death/funeral

Never seen so much public outpouring of grief, again, will never forget it.

MH370

Compelling but tragic story, still more to come obviously.

Michael Sams/Stephanie Slater kidnap

This was close to home as he held her about a mile from where I live.....still convinced I walked past the yard at the time she was being held....if only I knew!

Obv ones for me have already been said many times.

Other ones that stick out for me are:

Rwandan genocide- I was 6 when this happened. I can remember it being on the news every night and was prob the first event that made me aware of how cruel and evil humans could be. I can remember asking my Nan why this was happening, why they were killing people and remember her just replying "because they're different" and it really hit home.

Yugoslav Wars- Similar for me to the Rwanda thing, I was a bit older when the Kosovo war happened, and watched a lot of the news on it. It also made me aware of how different countries in the form of NATO were banding together to help the little guy. Both stick out in my mind because there wasn't a real reason (from my point of view) why these terrible things were happening other than that both sides were of different ethnicity.

Jill Dando murder- famous person getting killed on their doorstep really terrified me as it gave you a sense that no one was safe.

Harlod Shipman- Britain's biggest serial killer and my Grandma's old doctor (he didn't kill her). Obv not the most gruesome serial killer but on shear volume he was a truly terrifying man. He also practiced close to where I lived and I was pretty scared going to the doctors for a  few months.

The Mars Landings/asteroid landing- I'm really into space stuff but I think this jumped out in my head because of a programme I was watching around the same time. It was called 10,000 BC and documented a group of 30ish people trying to recreate living in prehistoric times. They struggled massively and had to have outside assistance multiple times. It made me realise how far as a species we've come. I mean there's an actual robot on Mars (made by us), millions of miles away in space and these people can't even build a hut properly. Makes me think of how many brilliant, amazing things humans can do when they want.

The financial crisis- This really peaked my interest and I made me much more aware of how the world works. From a personal point of view it had very minimal impact on me (just having left Uni, playing poker professionally) but to see people really close to me lives just crumble and them lose everything. How can these people basically in charge of everyone's finances be so reckless?

Like Tom pretty much most of which have been posted. A few are poignant to me.

Elvis... Was brought up on him. Came home from the pub as an18 year old and found my Mum and sister in tears. Luxembourg radio 208 played his music all night.

Lesley Whittle.... Remember a bobby friend of mine was glad of the overtime this incident required. A football team mate was questioned about this, as was everyone who worked on the shafts at Bathpool park.

Iraq..... This happened just as my ex wife took our kids to live in Cyprus. Very worrying time.

70's troubles in Ireland.... I had 2 uncles in the army serving in Ireland at the time. In the British army but both born in Ireland. I lived next door but one to my Nan and the news was never turned off.

Moon landing.... As a kid this was fascinating.

Handsworth riots..... I was working in Brum at the time. Rang to say I was on my way home mid evening (from a phone box) and was told about the riots. I was just a few mile away.

Hillsborough.... At the time this was unfolding I was visiting my uncle (ex army one) who was recovering from a motor bike accident. As I was watching the news waiting to see him alarms went off and the ressus team had to go in and re start my uncles heart. He survived this but passed away shortly after.

Elvis & Lesley Whittle stay strong in my mind too. As does the Falklands.
Hillsborough. James Bulger. Tsunami. 9/11.

Very Hard to narrow to 10, In no order

9/11

Nelson Mandela release from prison

Challenger exploding

7/7

Thatcher Resigning

Hillsborough

Enniskillen

John Lennon's murder

1981 Riots

Death of Diana


Im sure there lots more though

Ahh, well that explains it, you were but a child.

I can't decide on my "Top Ten New stories", or what order they should be in, but if I had to choose one single item of news, with accompanied filmed footage, that would be the one. It gave me nightmares, & still does. That may have been the moment I realised the level of cruelty & hate that existed, especially when crowds are involved. Crowds act differently to individuals.   

I was considerably older and I still don't get it.
The tours to Althorp were even more of a mystery.

Corporal David Howes and Corporal Derek Wood. Let's not forget their names. If you're not sure what happened, this is how these men were murdered in cold blood and in broad daylight.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporals_killings

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhfgQOLSrTQ

My top 10 would probably be

9/11 - just because of the size of the story. I was working in insurance and the marketing department had coverage of it on their computers; we all just moved over to there to keep up with it.

The collapse of Communism in Europe - actually felt important while it was happening rather than something that seems momentous in hindsight. I was only a teenager and pre-world wide web and without being able to afford a TV (prior to 24 hour news on the BBC anyway) the only way to keep up with what was going on was to listen to the radio (which seems a lot like something that should be more relevant to a generation above mine).

Nick Leeson - had an impact on me, because I quite liked the idea of working in the City. But I was scared I would do something so bad it made my employers collapse - Leeson was proof I hadn't just been paranoid and it actually could have happened if I'd followed that career path :)

Thatcher resigning - I was 3 when she became Prime Minister, so her leaving seemed quite 'important' at the time. Not so much now, but I'd include it on the basis of how it felt then.

Concorde crashing - as well it's speed and style it always seemed to represent reliability up until that point.

Soham Murders - like with Sicilian, just seemed to get to me more than others.

IRA Docklands bombing - in 1996; was just such a shock. It really seemed like the Troubles were at an end and this was a proper ceasefire. All my flatmates at uni were genuinely shocked when this came on the news.

Band Aid - I have less of a memory of this - because I have a very bad memory; but it was definitely one of the more impactful events of my life.

Elvis dying - my first memory; it's very vague - but then I was about one and a half years old. I just have a recollection of hearing it on the radio and I had that recollection for ages before I realised how young I was when it happened. Both my parents were massive fans, so it might have embedded in my memory because of their emotional reaction to it.

Menningitis outbreak - it was news that made the national papers such as the Times and the Express (see picture), but definitely a personal one. I didn't know the people who died but there was a period of time where those in my Hall of Residence didn't know if they'd contracted the virus before we'd had the antibiotic (? medicine of some sort) to kill it. I don't think many people were worried about actually dying but everyone got very close looking out for each other. It  made for quite a close 'blitz' like atmosphere. Particularly when there were journalists stalking the gates of the hall of residence, bus drivers throwing students off of bus's if they suspected they lived there and just about everybody you passed talking about what was going on there.
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10392246_180524066042_7734030_n.jpg?oh=800075f09698fc8446e4eff85d734385&oe=567D4E15)

For what it's worth I think Diana's death was interesting, but no more or less so than any other celebrity to any great degree, certainly not something to have any historical impact on either a personal or worldwide scale.

Really good list Dan, perfect for our generation I think. I might take Deepwater Horizon off for something, possibly mh370, launch of Facebook or YouTube. Not that they were news at the time I guess.

Some stories in here I hadn't heard about, the Corporal killings were something I had and they are truly horrifying.

One amazing story no one seems to know about despite the scientific and technical implications
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/3Dratchet_wrench

The geezer who beheaded Lee Rigby and then explained to a camera why he did it, with the blood literally still on his hands, was pretty chilling too.

Not sure if this is the right way of doing this but I'm just going to write down the first 10 that come to my head.

9/11, the one true "Where were you when x happened?" that I think everyone knows the answer to.

July 7th Bombings, my dad was in London commuting as usual I was petrified

Diana's Death - maybe another where everyone knows where they were

Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman murders

Dunblane Massacre

Phill Hughes death - almost certainly not one for most people but for someone 2 months younger than me to die playing the sport I love was quite a shock to me

Reeva Steenkamp shot by Oscar Pistorius - maybe just sticks in my head cause its recent

The Hunt for Osama Bin Laden

Execution of Saddam Hussein

Black Friday - not really a news story but fairly compelling if you're a poker player!

It had no historical impact really, but that was not the question - it was "compelling news stories". And most people included it for that reason, it was such an extraordinary story, with a horrific twist at the ending. If you wrote her story as a fictional novel, nobody would believe it possible. Royals rarely get killed in car chases or car crashes, especially in the middle of the night. Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) died in a car crash in 1982, & people still remember it with sadness. "Beautiful Princesses" resonate with the public, generally.   

Worldwide? It had a huge effect on the American public, generally they adored her from afar. Put the same question on a USA based Forum, & most will include the Lady Di story. Much the same in Australia, to a lesser degree, too.

Yes, ghastly, in every way. It's barely possible to imagine people could do such things, but the chap was totally calm & matter of fact about it. 

"compelling" makes me think of something that I'd like to know more about.

A celebrity dying is interesting news, and can sometimes involve an elaborate funeral which is worth watching for the spectacle but the only two deaths I can think of that make me interested in finding out more about the subject are Eva Peron's and Winston Churchill's - both before my time so not applicable to thread though.

Far too many events for me to even contemplate listing them.

Tony , were the murder of Mountbatten and his grandson ,followed the next day by the massacre of soldiers at Warren Point close to making your list ?

Very much so.

I think, on reflection, I'd include the NI situation generally, which would include those.

I did write...


The troubles in Ireland (may have to find room for that)

There were so many dreadful moments associated with the situation, the two you mention, the Omaha bombing, the mainland bombs, the two Army guys who got beaten to death, Mountbatten, Warren Point, the Brighton bombing & attempt to kill Lady Thatcher (so nearly succeeded), & so on, as well as the casualties on the "other side".  There was no "breaking news" things then, but I almost used to dread watching the news.  The Gerry Adams story in itself is an incredible one, from deemed terrorist to Statesman, & likewise, the Ian Paisley role.  

The more I think about it, the more I think it should be to the top of my list, it dominated over 30 years of my life.  

The whole thing was so ghastly, in so many ways. Without diminishing the deaths of any of the Military, it was the death of so many innocent civilians that seemed so unjust.

It'd odd to see the Lady Di story in the same Top 10 really, but that is the basis of the question - compelling stories in our lifetime. Both stories were, to me, utterly compelling, but in totally different ways.

I can remember EXACTLY where I was, & who I was with, & what time it was, when I fist saw that footage of the two British Soldiers beaten to death. Ditto the Lady Diana death.

If I submitted my list again, it would be very different I think.

On the topic of Diana:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33927354

No lessons learnt

Hiding in a car boot to secretly take photos of a child is disgraceful.
Don't we have any treason laws anymore?