First memory of "real" history

I did not like school, so when anything happened to interrupt class I remembered, even when I was very small. In the grade school I attended they had a large auditorium for group activities within the school. The entire school could easily gather in this place for various programs. Now on this occasion I was very small sat with a group of older children. The entire school was called into the auditorium, now I do not remember clearly what I actually remember of this day first hand or if what I recall now was from history books. It was the flight of Alan Sheppard, he being the first American in Space. This was a very big thing for all of America. The country stopped during this time, all were fixed upon their TV screens, this was unheard of, a man being "shot" into space. What would happen, would he live??? So in this tiny school, Public School # 9, there I was very small, happy that class was out and pleased to be in the auditorium... I have no other memory of this, other then it was a very big deal and class was let out for it... And a TV was on and there were cheers and awes when the rocket went into the air.