Image via Complex Original
Live TV can either be a network’s best friend or its worst nightmare, but no matter which way it goes, the unpredictability makes on-the-spot entertainment great. Over the years, historical moments have been caught in real time, captivated the masses, shattered hearts worldwide, and, in some cases, have forever changed the course of history. Whether dealing with wars, natural disasters, or entertainment, it's a breeding ground for the sensational.
Tomorrow marks 49 years to the day since President John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was gunned down while being transferred to a Dallas jail in front of a live national TV audience watching. It’s a moment that shocked a nation and altered the way news is covered around the globe. Since then, live cameras have been a gateway into history-in-the-making, with some of the most shocking events ever taking place right in front of viewers' eyes.
As we reflect on what Oswald’s death meant to the world, let's take a look back at The 25 Craziest Things That Have Happened On Live Television.
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Written by Jason Serafino (serafinoj1)
25. Jordan F. Romero’s live suicide
Date: September 28, 2012
There's nothing better than a mid-afternoon car chase caught live on TV. Just a few months ago, though, Fox News captured a little more of the action than it wanted to when the driver, Jordan F. Romero, committed suicide as the network’s cameras were rolling. The grisly sight was seen by millions of people watching at home in what's likely the biggest network blunder of the past 10 years.
The suicide came after Romero had gotten out of his car in the Phoenix desert. After an officer shot and missed him, he pulled out his own gun and took his own life. Unfortunately, the national Fox News channel and its affiliate, KSAZ-TV, didn’t cut the feed quick enough. Shepard Smith immediately apologized in the aftermath. The violent video is all over the Internet, but if you plan on eating anything over the next month, we suggest you skip it.
24. The Balloon Boy hoax
Date: October 15, 2009
In October 2009, reports started pouring into news stations that there was a runaway gas balloon floating around Colorado with a small child alone inside of it. Reporters and cameras flocked to the scene and locked in on the balloon as the public watched what was thought to be a potential tragedy, due to unconfirmed reports that the boy had fallen from the balloon. Later into the day, though, the world breathed a sigh of relief when the child was found hiding in the attic of his home.
Almost instantly, suspicious rose that the whole thing was a hoax orchestrated by the parents. And an apparent slip of the tongue by the boy in a Wolf Blitzer-conducted follow-up interview confirmed those fears. Hoax aside, this was an engrossing piece of live television that captured our complete attention for an afternoon.
23. The Casey Anthony verdict
Date: July 5, 2011
Not since O.J. Simpson’s trail had a court case won the attention of the world like that of Casey Anthony, an Orlando, Florida, woman charged with murdering her two-year-old daughter. So when the verdict was about to be read, it was only natural that it would be watched by millions of people around the country. And we would guess that the overwhelming majority thought this would be an easy slam dunk guilty verdict.
But when it was revealed that the jury found Anthony not guilty, it came as a devastating shock to most people. There was outrage, grief, tears, and, above all, damn good television. Nothing brings Americans together like a courtroom setting, and this piece of live judicial sensationalism was perfect for a country starved of it.
22. Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction
Date: February 4, 2004
Janet Jackson’s duet with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show will never be remembered for its musical excellence, but, rather, for the notorious nip-slip that made networks everywhere rethink just how live they air these types of events. During the performance, Timberlake inexplicably reached over to Jackson’s outfit and ripped off a portion of it, exposing her right breast to the world.
Though it was only exposed for a second, that was more than enough time for audiences everywhere to pause their Tivo’s and put video footage online. The fallout led to stricter standards for future Super Bowl telecasts and live event coverage everywhere. It also brought into question just how much sex networks should be allowed to sell to the public.
21. Manila tourist bus hostage crisis
Date: August 23, 2010
When a disgruntled former police officer named Rolando Mendoza hijacked a tour bus in Manila, TV cameras amazingly caught the tense 10-hour standoff live. The situation turned really grim when Mendoza’s brother was arrested after entering the bus without police permission. After witnessing his brother’s arrest on live TV while still holding the bus hostage, Mendoza began shooting the civilians.
In all, eight hostages were killed, along with Mendoza, and seven more were injured. Thankfully for TV viewers worldwide, much of the brutality happened inside of the bus, away from the public’s view.
20. JetBlue Airways Flight 292 emergency landing
Date: September 21, 2005
The emergency landing of JetBlue Airways Flight 292 was a tense situation for the countless people watching the descent on live TV. But the most amazing part is that the passengers themselves were actually watching the events unfold via their on-board televisions, though the sets were turned off before the landing. Talk about surreal.
It’s not often that live cameras catch something as dramatic as this. At any moment, people at home could have been witness to the death of dozens of people without warning. Fortunately, the pilot landed the plane seamlessly, jammed landing gear and all. Still, this one could have gone real bad in a hurry.
19. Christine Chubbuck's live on-air suicide
Date: July 15, 1974
One fateful day, Christine Chubbuck did what she had been doing for the past few years: She read the morning news live for WXLT-TV in Florida. Except this time, in the middle of her segment, she went off-script and said, with an eerie calmness, “In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: attempted suicide." She then pulled out a gun and shot herself behind the right ear.
The station quickly went to a public service announcement as Chubbuck died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the floor. Oddly enough, when her notes were examined, Chubbuck had written the whole event out, even writing things such as which hospital she would be taken to and which reporter would replace her after the suicide. As far as we know, all tapes of the event have been destroyed, but if this happened today, it would live on in infamy online. We’re glad it didn’t turn out like that.
18. Dale Earnhardt dies in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500
Date: February 18, 2001
A fatal wreck is a fear that has to be in the back of all NASCAR drivers' minds during every race. In early 2001, one happened on live TV in front of a packed audience and millions watching from home when the sport’s biggest star, Dale Earnhardt, died in a crash. Worse wrecks have happened the sport's history—hell, Earnhardt even survived a few, but this one was different.
When Earnhardt’s No. 3 car slammed into the wall in Daytona at an estimated 161 mph, he was killed instantly as an entire fan base watched in horror. It’s something the sport, and its fans, still haven’t completely gotten over.
17. The toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Firdos Square
Date: April 9, 2003
When U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians toppled the imperialistic statue of Saddam Hussein in Fridos Square in Iraq, it was a symbolic moment that people thought would signal the beginning of peace. It was seen as a moment of triumph for Iraqis, Americans, and countless people watching around the world. This act of iconoclasm was a strong and powerful message, and, mostly staged or not, it was still a momentary victory in a war that has become infamous in the years since.
16. The Branch Dividian siege in Waco, Texas
Date: April 15, 1993
The Bureau of Tobacco and Firearms entered Waco, Texas, in April 1993 to execute a search warrant over some illegal weapons stahed inside a compound owned by the Branch Dividian religious sect in Waco, TX. Quickly, the scene turned into a deadly raid, which lasted for weeks. Things eventually turned into something out of a Michael Bay movie. Shots were fired, tanks were rolling, and the compound went up in flames as live TV cameras rolled.
In all, 76 Branch Dividian members were killed that day, and the horrifying events played out in real time to a nationally televised audience. These horrific live images most famously went on to partly fuel the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombings by Timothy McVeigh.
15. The fall of the Berlin Wall
Date: November 1989
It’s a sight countless people around the globe never thought they would see: the demolition of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany. But in November of 1989, it happened and live TV feeds from around the world were there to capture it. NBC’s Tom Brokaw famously narrated most of this momentous occasion as live images of the fall of Communism were being fed right into American living rooms.
German citizens were joined by countless international participants to hammer and chisel their way to freedom as the ominous, physical symbol of communism came down. For nearly three decades the world only knew a divided Europe, so it’s only natural that these images stunned the world. Unlike many of the entries on this list, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a positive example of live television's craziness.
14. Shock and Awe
Date: March 19, 2003
When the U.S. entered the Iraq War in 2003, it came at a time when live TV and the Internet had evolved to the point where any fighting could be instantly streamed around the globe for everyone to see. So when America launched its first attack, called Operation: Shock and Awe, video was carried live on every major news network on the planet.
For an entire generation of people too young to remember the live coverage of the Gulf War, this was their first look at war in real time, and it was a jarring experience. Bombs were going off at a rapid pace, and the type of explosions we’re used to seeing in the movies had moved to the small screen with real lives at stake. It was the opening salvo for what was to become one of the most controversial wars in American history, and it was all up there for the world to see live.
13. The 2000 Presidential Election
Date: November 7, 2000
The recently concluded 2012 presidential election again proved just how impressive the data that major news networks get on election night really is. it was a far cry from the 2000 election, when a handful of prominent news outlets jumped the gun in picking the winner of Florida in what amounted to one truly wild night night of politics.
Around 8 p.m. EST, certain major news networks began calling Florida, and its 25 electoral votes, in favor of Al Gore, which would have given him the presidency. An entire nation watched live and began wondering what the world would be like under President Gore. But then CNN recanted its projection and instead gave it to Bush. The country watched in befuddlement as each network scrambled for the right information and seemed to project a new winner every 15 minutes.
12. The massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich
Date: September 5-6, 1972
In response to the imprisonment of 234 Palestinians in Israeli jails, a militant terrorist group known as Black September took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage in an apartment building, ultimately killing 11 of them. Throughout the two-day ordeal, TV crews caught the events live. The terrorists were even able to watch the coverage as it unfolded, which allowed them to prepare for the police response.
Cameras didn’t manager to film the bloodiest parts of the conflict. however, the live images of the masked terrorists and the occasional shot of a hostage were enough to send the world into a frenzy. This event marked a new chapter for international terrorism, one that we are still experiencing today.
11. The Japanese tsunami hits live TV
Date: March 11, 2011
It’s never easy to get great live shots of a storm as it happens, but CNN did a masterful job of wrangling up some live footage of the tragic tsunami that hit Japan last year. The world watched on in horror as waters ripped through towns and cities like something out of a Hollywood disaster movie. Unlike Katrina or Sandy, a lot of this destruction was caught live by news crews, as opposed to surveying the destruction the next day.
Even CNN’s own broadcasters couldn’t hide their shock at the footage of boats, cars, and highways being tossed around. As tragic as the event was, it showed just how useful live feeds can be to get the scope of a story like this to people around the world.
10. The 1989 San Francisco earthquake
Date: Oct. 17, 1989
The history of sports is filled with great live TV moments—this one manages to transcend athletics. During live coverage of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, the broadcast was suddenly interrupted by one of the biggest earthquakes to ever hit the city.
Seconds after the quake hit, the feed cut out, but not before Michaels was heard saying something in a panicked voice. TV screens then switched to a generic World Series graphic with the announcers attempting to explain the situation to a shocked public. All of this happened in real time. The World Series coverage became America's gateway for the first bits of information of one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country's history.
9. The Los Angeles Riots
Date: April 29 – May 4, 1992
After the acquittal of the four police officers charged in the assault on Rodney King, Los Angeles broke out into a massive race riot for six days as thousands took to the streets in violent fashion. Right when news of the riot surfaced, countless TV cameras were there to catch as much of the mayhem as possible. Most notable was the beating of motorist Reginald Denny, which was caught by live TV cameras at the time. This moment became a symbol of the violence that had taken the city hostage.
Countless people around the country tuned in for six days (think about that) as one of America’s most prominent cities was thrown into virtual anarchy. In all, 53 people were killed and thousands more were injured. No matter how horrific the live coverage was, it barely scratched the surface of this uprising.
8. Live coverage of Hurricane Katrina
Date: August 28-29, 2005
This entry is a bit different from the others on the list. It’s more about multiple networks covering multiple aspects of Hurricane Katrina, although you'd be hard-pressed to find any live footage that came either during the storm or in its immediate aftermath that wasn’t absolutely shocking. Americans never thought they would see one of their most recognizable cities reduced to a true disaster zone, and those early aerial shots after the storm helped the country come to terms with the scope of the event.
Live footage of dead bodies, submerged buildings, and a shattered population littered networks for days. Plus, The Weather Channel literally braved the storm to bring us live coverage of Katrina as it happened, which brought the sheer terror and utter craziness of the storm into America’s living rooms.
7. Live footage of the Columbine High School massacre
Date: April 20, 1999
The United States still deals with the ramifications of the Columbine High School massacre every day, 13 years later. While the shootings weren't captured on live TV, the evacuations and SWAT team reactions were. A stunned nation tuned in to see kids escaping the school out of windows as heavily-armed policemen entered the building to take down any threat they felt still existed.
The footage of a school under siege is a sight most people felt they would never see in this country. There was no shocking violence or gore to be seen, but we can’t imagine anyone watching live without a lump in their throat.
6. Lee Harvey Oswald’s assassination
Date: November 24, 1963
After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy rocked the nation to its core, the country was eager to finally lay eyes on the man who had taken down the prince of Camelot. Just as news cameras were sending out live feeds of the alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, being transferred from a Dallas police station to the county jail, he was approached by a mysterious man and shot in front of a nation of onlookers.
Mass confusion followed as cameras scrambled to get a clear shot of the action. Later on the world learned that the shooter was Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner who was either an ardent patriot or a pawn in a devious conspiracy, depending on who you believe. Oswald’s live on-air murder was unprecedented at the time, and it set the stage for a decade that would be littered with televised violence and bloodshed.
5. O.J. Simpson’s low-speed car chase
Date: June 17, 1994
In a time before professional athletes were regulars on the nightly news for all the wrong reasons, former NFL running back O.J. Simpson made headlines after being accused of killing his ex-wife (Nicole Brown Simpson) and her friend (Ronald Goldman). When Simpson failed to turn himself in, an all-points bulletin was issued for his arrest. As he was spotted driving his white Bronco in Orange County, the most memorable low-speed car chase in history began.
Networks instantly began covering the chase live as the NFL hall-of-famer was bobbing and weaving his way through traffic like he used to do during his playing days. This all transpired during a time when shock TV was king, and millions were glued to what could have been a bloody, deadly situation. The time for voyeurism had arrived in America, and O.J. led the charge.
4. O.J. Simpson murder trial verdict
Date: October 3, 1995
We've seen high-profile cases, like the ones against Casey Anthony and Michael Jackson, try to come close to this one, but O.J. Simpson’s trial verdict is still the most shocking live courtroom moment in American TV history. It was almost as if the world stopped in its tracks as it was read aloud that Simpson had been found not guilty of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in front of millions of people watching at home. Some estimates even claim that the verdict was watched by 91-percent of TV viewing audiences at the time, which is a nearly-impossible feat.
It seemed like a mistake at first. The prosecution’s case was apparently open and shut. But somehow Johnnie Cochran and his team were convincing enough to acquit Simpson of any wrongdoing. The whole trial split the country down the middle, seemingly by racial lines, and public outcry was at a fever pitch. Over a decade later, this verdict is still one of the most hotly-debated of all time.
3. The explosion of the space shuttle Challenger
Date: January 28, 1986
The launch of the space shuttle Challenger was one of the most high-profile missions in NASA’s history, due in part to the fact that one of the astronauts on board was a civilian school teacher named Christa McAuliffe. It was supposed to be the dawn of space expeditions for the average person. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, though, the shuttle broke apart and exploded in front of the public viewing at home.
The images of the plume of smoke broke the hearts of a nation and has placed a black cloud over space exploration ever since. It was a crushing blow to the American psyche, which desperately wanted to hail the crew, especially McAullife, as heroes. This wasn’t the only space shuttle disaster that the U.S. public has witnessed, but the personal attachment people felt towards McAuliffe made it even more painful.
2. Man walking on the Moon
Date: July 20, 1969
It seemed like an impossibility for centuries, then July 20, 1969. On that day, the world witnessed live footage of man walking on the Moon. Astronaut Neil Armstrong forever etched his name in history when he uttered the famous phrase "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” for millions of people watching at home to hear. The live TV feed was watched by an estimate 600 million people worldwide. Suck on that, American Idol.
The footage's impact is heightened when put in the context of its time-frame. Here our nation was, less than 100 years since the invention of the automobile and the airplane, and we managed to send a crew up to the Moon solely to dick around. It’s a feat of pure awe that has yet to be matched on live TV.
1. United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the World Trade Center
Date: September 11, 2001
It’s the most shocking and tragic day in American history, and it all unfolded on live television. After reports began to come in of a plane striking the World Trade Center, most of the major news channels began a live feed of what was then considered to be a horrific accident. When cameras caught another plane hitting the South Tower on national television, it became apparent this was a highly-orchestrated terrorist attack.
The image of American Airlines Flight 175 slamming into the South Tower was more than enough to let the world know that it would never be the same. Like the Kennedy assassination four decades earlier, people everywhere remember where they were at that moment, and for most, this live footage is something they will never forget.