History in My Lifetime, episode 1: Assassinations & Attempted Assassinations

In this, the Fall 2026 semester, we will be trying something new: a class called "History in My Lifetime: Documenting My Place in History to Tell My Grandchildren." Each week we will discuss a different category of major historical events in the last 80 years or so, with emphasis being on the lived experience of the average person who lived through these historical events. The class will also involve daily journal prompts which will focus more on a person's personal history: marriage, parenthood, careers, etc. ... In this first episode we discuss major political assassinations (like JFK), attempted political assassinations (like Reagan), the assassination of activists (like Martin Luther King, Jr.), and cultural figures who were assassinated (like John Lennon).