Its 9/11.

i was in 8th grade, we had just come in from recess and were about to start french class, but neither teacher was around. eventually one of my classmates went out searching and found them in the staff lounge gathered around the tv, some were crying. my french teacher came back and told us all, "stay put. something serious has happened... a lot of people have been killed." her eyes were red and she disappeared back into the lounge. we were all still kids and this really meant nothing to us so we took the chance to goof off. eventually we were called to the gym where a tv was set up. the principal explained what happened and no one really understood the impact of it. we watched the footage for a while, it was people screaming and crying. eventually we were sent home early, my dad was parked in front of the tv, glued to the coverage.

i think that really it's only recently sank in just how awful and devastating that day was, and how much the world was changed by it. not to mention that, while america did go to war, we managed to avoid another world war which is... just amazing.