I was stationed in Brooklyn New York during the months of June through August 1945. On the morning of July 28th an Army Air Corps B-25 bomber slammed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. Fourteen people were killed and a couple dozen, injured. I got off duty the next day and went to see the tail of the aircraft hanging from the building. I happen to mention the incident to a fellow bus passenger last month and he said I was full of crap. That it never happened. I had a few years on the guy, but not all that many. I followed up the bus conversation with a test. I ask a number of people of all ages and genders if they ever heard of the crash and only one person, an air line pilot, said he had a vague recollection of hearing about it.
I have often wondered why no one remembers this incident. It’s true that a couple of weeks after this happened, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan and WWII ended. I got off duty then to, and was in Time Square on August 15th, V-J Day, when the famous photo of the sailor kissing the nurse was taken. All but 3 test cases remembered that image.
In view of what happened on 9/11 I’m surprised at the lack of reference.