I think this really qualifies as the first disaster that I was old enough to understand. Still remember hearing them cut in on the radio to break the news while I was sitting in my mom's car as she ran into the gas station. Never really think about how much it affected me until I'm driving over the bridge or sitting on a bridge in traffic with that slight fear in the back of my mind.
I should not assume everyone knows what I'm talking about. It was big news in the US, but not everyone is from the US.