When I was reminded that this day, July 7th 2015, marked the 10th anniversary of the devastating bombings which took place in the London Underground, and minutes later, on a bus during rush hour, I had a hard time realizing that much time has passed.
It doesn’t seem that long ago; not 10 years anyway. But it was. And looking back on the events of that day seem unexplainable and surreal in retrospect, as so many of these are.
Initially, it was the “morning after” a celebration – London was to become the site of the 2012 Olympics, and the talk shows and morning programs were filled with congratulations and speculations over just what being an Olympic host was going to entail.
And then a report came in a little before 9 am – something of undetermined origin happened and the Underground system was shut down, snarling traffic all over London and making commuting into the city next to impossible. At first it was speculated it was an equipment breakdown – an electrical fire – a popping noise was heard and things went dark.
As the first hour went on, the news and the story gradually unfolded – at first there was no word or even hint of a bomb, or anything remotely intentional. But as reports came in – eyewitnesses called into the morning shows to relay horrific stories of smoke and screams and blood everywhere, it became clear it was no accident, no electrical problem.
So for the rest of the day, the story and the eyes of the world shifted to London and what became the first terrorist attack in several decades was unfolding as we watched and listened.
As a reminder, here is a 2 1/2 hour excerpt from that July 7th in 2005 – preserved from the actual on-air recordings via BBC Radio London as events took place.
Not that long ago – yesterday to some.
