Over 60s reflect on the special years that ‘sticks out’ to them in their lives

Reflecting on the years that hold a special place in our hearts can be a powerful and emotional experience.

These are the times that have shaped us, molded us, and helped us become the people we are today. They may be filled with joy and laughter, or they may be marked by struggles and challenges.

Regardless of what they hold, these years hold a special place in our hearts because they are a part of our personal history and have helped to shape our lives.

Curious as to what memories over 60s hold near and dear, one Reddit user took to the online forum to ask what year stands out to them as special or monumental in their lifetime.

“Is there a year that sticks out in your life (either on the news and/or personal level wise?),” the Reddit user asked.

“There are some years that stick out more than others it seems. What year sticks out as a major year for this subreddit?”

The responses came in thick and fast with users sharing both major historical events that changed their lives and more personal matters that impacted them on a deeper level.

For one user the the Challenger explosion and the Chernobyl disaster stood at the forefront of their mind.

“January of 1986- Challenger explosion. I was in geology class and our teacher interrupted our quiz to tearfully tell us,” they said.

“Later in 1986, Chernobyl disaster. We were living in Anchorage, Alaska.

“Personal life- 1995 suuuucked. April of 1995, my husband had a massive stroke. After the Army, he became an over-the-road trucker and the Wednesday before Easter, he took one last run so he could take the following week off.

“He was luckily unloading the trailer with two employees of the company when he collapsed. So he was immediately taken care of. It would have been much, much worse had he been alone.”

Another commenter’s stand out year was when the Berlin Wall cam down in 1989

“Others have mentioned the Challenger explosion, Chernobyl, and 9/11. I’ll add in ’89 with the Berlin Wall coming down (I was living in Spain at the time), and I think we’ve all missed the obvious 2020 because of Covid,” they recalled.

One user couldn’t forget the assassination of JFK, which marked a major moment in their lives. Despite the enormity of JFK’s assassination, it was the birth of their daughter in 1970 that stood out the most.

“I don’t have just one. My years for the news was ‘63 when JFK was assassinated and ‘69 for the 1st Moon Landing,” they said.

“On a personal level ‘70 when I was 18 and my daughter was born and ‘85 when I converted to a different religion.”

It was the threat of Y2K that stuck in the mind of one person as well as the attacks of September 11 and the personal fallout that followed.

“1999 because everyone was scared of the Y2K issue. It was a real issue, and lots of people worked really hard to make sure it didn’t destroy the planet, not like it was ever going to anyway but it still needed to be fixed,” the user wrote.

“2001 because before Sept 11th it seemed strange, like something was going to happen and it did. A month after Sept 11th my job laid everyone off and businesses went belly up. Took me a while to find another job.”

Everyone remembers the resignation of disgraced US President Richard Nixon, particularly this user who reflected on the momentous nature of the incident.

“In my opinion that was when peoples perception of politicians and the role of government changed. Prior to that it was the New Deal, WWII and the cold war most (not all) people thought government was a good thing and that it existed to solve problems,” they mused.

“After Watergate that changed and Reagans idea that the government is the problem took hold. Along with that came the politicization of religion.”

For one person it wasn’t a major event or international disaster that made a year stick out for them, for them it was simply turning their life around and that left them “forever changed.”

“The year I was 35. I turned my life around completely. Just started living to have fun and it changed my entire attitude. Went from lonely to the most friends and fun I ever had,” they wrote.

“It lasted for a good 5-7 years. I’m forever changed though because I learned so much about how to live with people and be happy.”