I have always been impressed by what the previous generations did in the way of science and industry, i.e. the huge industrial effort during WW2. The enormity of the lunar landing considering the level of technology at the time, and the time frame it was put together in. We truly are a great country when we want or need to be!
And another thing I realized is that I long for newscasters like Walter Cronkite or Huntley and Brinkley, who simply reported the news without slanting, embellishing, or editorializing. They were from the time when news reporting was just that, reporting the news, and not entertainment based on news events.