Anniversaries and missed opportunities

The Loma Prieta earthquake was eighteen years ago today.

And I mentioned it in one class already (as "the Big Enough One," in response to a question about the maximum possible size of an earthquake in a different tectonic setting). And I totally forget the anniversary.

Perhaps it's not that important to remember any more. I mean... the college freshmen were born in 1989.

Human memory really isn't long enough to handle geology, is it?