First off, in '86, the infamous Space Shuttle Challenger exploded killing it's whole crew and a school teacher. I was 6.

in '03 I spent the firs hour of my birthday laying on my back on a concrete floor in a factory after having a disk slip, and the following 4 hours laying on my back on a gurney in a hospital....and the following three days on a thin (non existant) mattresspad on the floor of my living room....... fun birthday... BUT, I did get to ride in an ambulence for the first time. :-P