In this fast-moving world, it's rare a historical moment will make every single person stop in their tracks.

A handful of events throughout modern history have had such a huge impact on those who lived through it. The famous phrase "I remember what I was doing when I heard about..." is often banded about but is no exaggeration when speaking about these seismic events.

31 August 2023 marks 26 years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and there is no doubt that this is one of those moments that felt like the world stopped for those who remember it.

Here are some others historical moments that had a huge impact on our modern world.

Assassination of John F. Kennedy - 22 November 1963

It was the gunshot heard around the world. John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas in November 1963.

Kennedy, known as JFK, was seen in footage from the event slumped over in the open-roof car after being shot in the back with his wife, Jackie, frantically attempting to help her husband.

Gunman Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested less than one hour after the shooting took place. Oswald was a recent employee of the Texas School Book Depository, where the gunman allegedly took the shot from as the motorcade drove past.

In a turn of events however, Oswald himself was shot live on television. On 24 November, only two days after the president was killed, Oswald was seen in live footage being transferred from police headquarters to a county jail when he was shot by a man later identified as Jack Ruby.

Moon Landing - 21 July, 1969

In 1969, millions around the world tuned in to their sets to watch as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history as the first humans to set foot on the moon. The space age saw huge advances made in the race to become the first country to land a person on the moon, with the US prevailing in 1969.

Alongside Armstrong and Aldrin, the Apollo 11 spaceflight was also piloted by Michael Collins. Armstrong's famous line "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" has become instantly recognisable, even to those not alive at the time of the landing and has been parodied by films and TV shows, time and time again.

Fall of the Berlin Wall - 9 November 1989

The fall of the Berlin Wall marked a huge turning point in world history, both literally reuniting the east and west of Germany, but also effectively opening the so-called 'Iron Curtain' separating communist-led eastern Europe from capitalist-led states in western Europe.

The fall of the wall was a huge catalyst in the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union and the fall of communism only a few years later. It had been initially constructed to stop those in the east defecting into the west, with part of Germany split up into occupation zones after the end of World War II, with the USSR controlling areas to the east.

On the night the wall fell, West Berliners and East Berliners celebrated as huge slabs of concrete tumbled, with residents dancing on top of structures and hugging each other in celebration of their reunion.

Death of Diana, Princess of Wales - 31 August 1997

On 31 August 1997, the world was stunned when it was announced Diana, Princess of Wales, had died in a car crash in Paris, France. Affectionately nicknamed 'The People's Princess', Diana had remained a favourite royal with the public despite her bitter and very public divorce from the then-Prince Charles in 1996.

Diana had been evading the paparazzi alongside her partner Dodi Fayed in a high speed chase when the black Mercedes-Benz car, driven by Ritz Hotel security member Henri Paul crashed in the Pont de l'Alma underpass in the French capital. When paparazzi found the car wreckage, some photographers attempted to help the passengers, while others reportedly took photos of the scene.

Diana, who was still conscious after the crash, was taken to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital just after 2am local time. She died one hour later. Fayed and Paul were both pronounced dead at the scene.

The entire world went into mourning, with an estimated three million people gathering to pay their respects at Westminster Abbey for her funeral. The ceremony, broadcast in 44 different languages, is estimated to have gained a worldwide viewership of 2.5 billion people.

9/11 terrorist attacks - 11 September 2001

The terror attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001 was a moment that lives in the memory of many people in the modern world. The picture of the burning towers is an iconic image etched into the minds of millions, if not billions.

The attack took place at the World Trade Centre buildings, known as the Twin Towers, in New York City. Two hijacked planes consecutively crashed into the two buildings within sixteen minutes of each other, with the building collapsing soon after

Another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon building in Virginia. A fourth hijack attempt heading towards the direction of Washington D.C was thwarted after a passenger revolt and landed in a field in rural Pennsylvania - investigators believed that this flight was heading towards either the US Capitol building or the White House.

The attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people, were claimed by the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda. The 9/11 terrorist attacks were noted as being the catalyst in beginning the global war on terror.

Death of Queen Elizabeth II - 8 September 2022

The most recent huge historical event to shake up the world was the death of former monarch Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen died at the age of 96 in Balmoral Castle in Scotland after a reign of more than 70 years.

Her time on the throne is the longest of any British monarch and the longest for any female head of state ever. Her death prompted the triggering of Operation Unicorn, the name given to the process if she had died in Scotland, and saw around 280,000 people visit her coffin as she lay at rest in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh and lay in state in Westminster Hall in London.

https://www.nationalworld.com/news/world/nine-moments-in-history-everyone-remembers-where-they-were-when-they-happened-from-diana-to-911-4276120

Her funeral took place on 19 September and was watched by millions around the world. Around 97,000 people are also believed to have lined the procession route.

Her son, Prince Charles, succeeded her on the throne and his coronation took place in May 2023.