Readers Remember

It’s 1955 and I am 9 years old, standing with my family on a solid wooden porch of the cabin my father built in Lucerne Valley, Calif.

In the early morning hours of a hot summer we waited--with what seemed like front-row seats--for the moment when the entire eastern horizon would light up. First the sky turned from a glowing yellow to red, then gray. Puffy gray smoke formed a giant mushroom cloud. In a heartbeat the ground beneath us rumbled. It was the hydrogen bomb testing in Nevada.

For a young girl, that devastating power was far too scary to perceive, yet understanding it would be part of our future.

Who could do anything so horrid to deserve such punishment?

Today, I am in my 50s and still do not understand.

DIANE WELDON-JAFFE

El Segundo

It’s summer, but it’s cool. I carry my American flag. It’s 5:30 a.m. I head off down the road. There are some people gathered. In the distance it’s coming. Tears are in my eyes, a lump in my throat. I wave my flag. The runner passes on the way to Los Angeles. It’s 1984 and I see history happening as the Olympic torch goes by.

CAROLE LARCOM

La Verne

What do you recall most about the 20th century? In 200 words or less, send us your memories, comments or eyewitness accounts. We will publish as many as we can on this page until the end of the year. Write to Century, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or e-mail century@latimes.com. We regret we cannot acknowledge individual submissions. Letters may be edited for space.