Today, with the ubiquity of online videos, witnessing significant events as they unfold has become almost routine. Yet, not so long ago, real-time events were primarily experienced through television and news broadcasts, before the era of streaming and live feeds took over.
In this exploration, we delve into the unforgettable moments that people witnessed on live TV, moments that have left a lasting impression on their memories. Below, you’ll find a collection of some of the most memorable and iconic events from recent history. Take a look and share in the comments how many of these you remember watching live on TV when they originally happened.
The 2nd plane hitting the World Trade Center on 9/11
Seeing that dye drip down Giuliani’s face. Bonkers that would ever happen. Plus the Four Seasons Landscaping thing…
The Station nightclub fire is the reason why I case every single room/building I walk into and make sure there are multiple exits, and that I know where they are. That video was horrifying and terrifying in equal measure.
The Balloon Boy Hoax of 2009. Specifically when the kid unintentionally outed his parents for orchestrating the whole thing.
Clint Malarchuk getting his jugular sliced by a skate.
The Space Shuttle exploded.
OJ Bronco chase
The fly that landed on Pence’s head during a debate
Not really crazy or out there, but I remember watching the live updates on TV about Steve Irwin’s condition after coming home from school. Seeing them update the headlines from things like accident, to serious, to fatal followed by non-stop news and reflections on his life for the next few days. The world lost a legend that day.
Boston Marathon Bombing
It was so surreal and I knew a lot of people there (running and spectators). The timing was seriously scary as the Sox game had let out and I couldn’t get a hold of family members who had gone to Fenway and planned to walk to the finish line. They decided not to, but our neighbors were directly impacted.
That and the next few days were wild, to say the least.
I remember the tanks rolling in on Tienanmen Square. The bravery of those people protesting for democracy was astounding. But knowing what was coming was horrifying.
I know the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen was a guy throwing his shoes at the President.
The night princess diana died. The Simpsons used to come on at 11pm, I was watching one night and they interrupted the broadcast to show the paris crash scene. I had no idea who she was at the time and I kept waiting for the Simpsons to come back on. It was all over the news the next day
The Max Headroom incident.
An old TV show called ‘That’s Incredible’ had a guest on that claimed he could catch bullets with his teeth. All so long they built up the suspense. When the time came for the feat, the trigger was pulled and the show immediately cut to commercial. When they came back, they said there was an unfortunate accident.
When the Australian reporter discovered a hostage she was talking about live, was her friend
Randy Johnson hitting that bird mid flight 100 mph fastball
Opening Al Capone’s vault.
Oh man, there was so much buildup to it, too. Then they opened it and it was just full of dirt
I was up at 2 or 3am or whatever it was when the tsunami hit Japan in 2011. They had live footage from a helicopter and you could see the water destroying everything in its path.
WWE (then WWF) wrestler Owen Hart dying during a live pay-per-view. He was supposed to be lowered into the ring with a harness. The harness failed and he fell 80 feet into the ring. The cameras wound up panning away before he hit the ring, but they announced his death later in the same broadcast.
When the sky opened up and started raining while Prince played Purple Rain at the Superbowl halftime show. Sent chills down my spine.
Gary Plauche smoking his sons kidnapper/rap**t, revolver point blank to the head.
The scariest is the Hillsborough disaster as it unfolded during the FA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989. It was a terrible, terrible crowd crush that was caused by poor policing and poor stadium management. 97 people unnecessarily lost their lives while going to see a sporting event. The worst part is the absolutely f**kery that the victims’ families went through (and still fight) for justice.
Tommy Cooper was one of the most high profile and loved comedians in England during the 1970s and early 80s (and possibly all-time). He was famous for his slapstick, irreverant humour and for his ‘failures’ in magic – which took incredible skill and he was one of the higher ranked members of the Magic Circle.
He was famous for hosting variety shows, which were huge draws attracting massive viewing figures every week. One night in 1984, he was up on stage doing his act, about halfway through, he went to put on a cloak as part of his act. After this, he promptly slumped to the floor and people proceeded to laugh, thinking it was part of his act. Even after a few minutes of this people we still laughing until they realised that it was not intended.
Long story short, Tommy Cooper had a heart attack in front of 12 million people, many of whom thought it was a joke for the first few minutes of it happening and died on that April night in 1984.
The guy who robbed a bank with a collar bomb.
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