I vividly recall Hurricane Andrew and I was 8 as well. My real name is Andrew so I associated with that event in that way and I think that's when my fascination with hurricanes really took off as well.
Eventhough I wasn't alive for Pearl Harbor, D-day, Kennedy assassination, etc...I do not excuse myself for not knowing the dates of those events. If you ask me when Pearl Harbor took place, I can tell you, but it doesn't always dawn on me on the day of the anniversary until I hear or see something in the news about it.
Now 9/11, I think about it about a week or sometimes a month in advance. That day, the events, the emotions, etc are absolutely burned into my mind and I don't think they'll ever go away. I'm sure that's how those who were alive for Pearl Harbor feel. My wife is more amazed year after year with how little her 4th grade students know about 9/11, but then she reminds herself they weren't even born yet.
EDIT: The one historical event that I'm extremely ticked off that I missed was Halley's Comet. I'll be 74 if I live to see the next one.