* there are certain historical events everyone remembers *
Right. This was one of them ... if you were alive then.
I have a vague recollection of the aftermath of the assassination and recall watching a bit of the funeral. I was 6 at the time. A little over a year later Winston Churchill passed away and I do recall the huge headline in the newspaper saying Man of the Century dies. They knew even then in 1965 his impact on history. That did leave an impression on me.