It is said that everybody remembers where they were on momentous days in history, like September 11, 2001, or when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
As countless millions tuned in worldwide last Tuesday to watch Barack Obama being sworn in as the first African-American US President, The Sunday Times took to the streets to find out if the Maltese were following the proceedings on their television sets.
Just under half of those questioned by The Sunday Times said they had watched the ceremony live, and many admitted it was the first time they felt compelled to watch the inauguration of a US President. Of those who watched, many expressed high hopes that Mr Obama would adopt a more peaceful approach to international affairs than his predecessor.
Jane Zahra, 45, from Gudja has been caught up in the excitement and optimism surrounding Mr Obama. She was full of praise for his inaugural speech and admitted, "This is something new for me, I'm not that young but this (excitement) is new."
After hearing the speech, Ms Zahra is hopeful that Mr Obama will prove to be a peacemaker. "I think he is going to make some changes in the world, and I hope so because we need it. He's going to end some of the wars, it's going to take some time but he will do it... God bless him," she said.
During his acceptance speech, Mr Obama pledged to "begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan". On the campaign trail, Mr Obama had promised a phased withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, with all combat troops removed within 16 months. He also pledged to significantly increase the size of US forces in Afghanistan to tackle growing insecurity.
While some Maltese appear to be have been swept up in the hysteria surrounding last Tuesday's historic occasion, for others it was business as usual.
"What speech?" asked a puzzled Jason Pace, 32, from Valletta when asked for his thoughts on the inauguration. "I had work to do," he replied, when it was explained to him, before adding that US politics was not particularly relevant to his daily life.
Sheila Attard, 41, from Valletta, was completely unaware that Mr Obama was inaugurated as President last Tuesday. However, she expressed hope that he would be good for the world and said she could sense the optimism that his victory had given people.
For others, Mr Obama's inauguration was overlooked through choice rather than indifference. Dennis Vella, 57, from Valletta purposely missed the occasion because he is "against Obama" and is a big supporter of George W. Bush.
When asked for his reasons, Mr Vella suggested that Mr Obama may have problems maintaining international security, adding, "I'm not a racist, but I don't know about him (Obama)... he's already started - he's closing down Guantanamo; they (the detainees) should have been executed, all of them. I'm against terrorism."
Another who missed the inauguration was Kevin Sammut, 21, from Msida, although he has read the text of Mr Obama's speech and is sceptical about his ability to fulfil expectations. "Everyone knows that Obama speaks very well, but some people will be disappointed. He is arriving at a very bad time and is trying to please everyone, which is not possible... Soon we will see, I'm sure he will be better than Bush at least," he said.
On the other hand, Santa Lucia resident Lino Arrigo Azzopardi, 69, watched the entire ceremony and described Mr Obama's inaugural speech as "fantastic".
"There are no other words for it. I think he is the right choice at the moment for the American people and the world... it's been a long time since America had somebody like him."
Mr Arrigo Azzopardi also has high expectations of Mr Obama's capacity as a peacemaker. "I hope he will solve the war between Israel and the Palestinians... I think Obama is the right man to stop it; if anyone can stop it, it's him," he said.
Mr Obama did not address the Israeli/Palestinian conflict directly in his speech, but he told the Muslim world he was seeking a new way forward, based on mutual interest and respect.
Palestinian Ambassador to Malta, Jubran Taweel, was full of admiration for Mr Obama's "inspirational" speech.
"It is a great beginning how President Obama stretched out to the Muslim world. The Muslim world is thirsty for such statements. I think this could be the start of a new era of mutual understanding," he said.
Israeli Ambassador to Malta Gideon Meir praised Mr Obama's inauguration as an incredible demonstration of American democracy, which could be a model and inspiration to many people around the world who did not enjoy the same freedoms.