On this day, Saturday, November 18, 1978, the Jonestown Massacre occurred.

[Mike 03]

2. Gosh, this brings back some memories.

I was in high school at the time, living in the east bay or San Francisco Bay Area. Maybe because of my age I don't remember the initial reports to have been very clear about what had happened, but the images of the dead bodies began to make their way onto TV and the newspapers my parents subscribed to. There was also the shootout on the airstrip and the death of Leo Ryan.

And this was days before the assassinations of Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk. I remember Diane Feinstein taking command. It was total chaos. I wish I had been a little older so I would have had the sense to glue myself to news and fully recognize what a historic moment this all was.

(That Saturday was also my birthday. My dad was taking me to see a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was too young to go by myself. We were waiting around to go to that when the news about Jonestown began to trickle in.)