Who, When, Why What

[Craig Hipkins]

Wow! Great thread with some great answers! Here are mine.

Who: There was no one person that sparked my interest in the assassination. However, my grandfather gave me an old newspaper detailing the assassination when I was real young, and also gave me a lot of old postage stamps from the 1800s. This, I guess, sparked my interest in history.

When: I can remember reading about the assassination when I was in elementary school. This was probably around 1977 when the movie The Lincoln Conspiracy came out. I was about 9 years old, but I still remember seeing the promotions on TV before it's release and I couldn't wait to see it. Of course, since I was only 9 I wasn't aware of the controversy that was surrounding it! I just enjoyed watching it. Didn't Gopher from the Love Boat play Davy Herold? I also remember the In Search Of episode that came out about 1978 or so, maybe a little later.

Why: This is a good question. There are certain dates in history that stand out where people ask other people the question "Where were you on that day?" Today it is 9/11, or the Kennedy Assassination. When I was a kid it was December 07, 1941. To people in the late 19th and early 20th century I imagine it was April 14, 1865. There is something about Booth jumping onto the stage in dramatic fashion that makes this event one for the ages.

What does it mean to my everyday life: I am not a historian by profession. However, I enjoy researching and writing on a number of different topics (I wish that I could concentrate on one, but that is impossible!) My interest in Lincoln has rubbed off on my 9 year old son who has taken an interest in the time period and especially the assassination. He has even created a scrap book, and I imagine it won't be long until he is a member of this forum!

Craig