re: The Challenger exploded on this day 38 years ago...January 28, 1986.

I remember it being a really big deal that Christa McAuliffe was selected for the mission. There was the nationwide search for the teacher, then the selection process, then after she was selected a lot of television interviews and interactions with students. As elementary students, we were invested over the course of a couple of years.

All of the third grade classes (and other grades) were gathered in their common areas watching it when it happened. There were gasps and then stunned silence. We were ushered back to our rooms after watching it and we were in total shock.

When the Challenger exploded, it felt like a piece of our childhood was destroyed. It was a cold welcome to the cruel world for young children.

I also remember Ronald Reagan’s speech that evening. He was truly the Great Communicator and his speech started the nation towards its healing. Those two events from the same day were seared into the collective conscience of Generation X.

Here’s President Reagan’s speech: LINK