I had just started my first full time job, three days after my last college Final exam. I was at my desk, writing, when one of the office admin staff appeared in my doorway, silent. She said simply “Challenger has exploded”, and then quickly turned and started crying. A horrible, horrible day that I will never forget. Not unlike 9/11, when while driving to work I heard on the radio that the second tower had collapsed. Had to pull to shoulder of the highway to scream and cry in anger and grief for a few seconds.
They stopped the presses at the newspaper where I worked, and remade the front page.