Today’s XKCD was titled First News Memory which got me thinking about my first. The first real news I can definitely remember was the 1960 Presidential Election when I had just turned eight years old. I think I remember Sputnik and how freaked out everyone was but I’m not sure if that memory is real or just reconstructed from later information.

For the record, my parents were what were known as “Rockefeller Republicans,” an extinct breed of moderate GOP and I, following my parents lead, was upset that Kennedy had won. I was never upset by Democratic victories after that.