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From unimaginable disasters to historic moments that defined an era - the 1980s brought us countless shocking events broadcast directly into our living rooms. Join us as we revisit the most jaw-dropping incidents captured live on television during this unforgettable decade. These weren't just news stories - they were shared experiences that stopped the world in its tracks.
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00:00This is CBS News live coverage of the scene from Midland, Texas, Dan Rather with Bruce Hall.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 20 craziest and most
00:09shocking events of the 1980s that were captured on live television.
00:13Plane just come dropping right out of the sky, right at you, and all I did was scream.
00:20Number 20, Hurricane Hugo.
00:22Many of the people leaving the barrier islands are spending the night here in Savannah,
00:26but when the hurricane hits, the Savannah River is also expected to surge.
00:31The historic 200-year-old buildings along its banks are just 5 feet above sea level.
00:36Even here, 17 miles inland, flood damage is expected to be heavy.
00:40Let's begin at the end.
00:42The 1980s concluded with what, at the time, was the costliest hurricane in American history.
00:48It was Hurricane Hugo, and it killed 107 people while inflicting 11 billion dollars worth of damage.
00:54Throughout September of 1989, Hugo devastated South Carolina and huge swaths of the Caribbean,
01:02dealing unbelievable damage to areas like St. Croix and Montserrat.
01:06Hugo was also shown extensively on TV, with major networks broadcasting on location
01:12and reporting on the horrendous winds and local flooding.
01:16Local TV stations like WCIV also aired deep into the night, giving last-minute evacuation warnings
01:22and updating viewers on the worsening conditions.
01:25And that's not including the morning-after devastation,
01:28with aerial footage broadcasting the nightmarish aftermath for all to see.
01:33Hurricane Hugo, what it left behind.
01:36The most ferocious storm in 35 years was, just as advertised, a monster.
01:42The South Carolina coastline tonight, a reminder of nature's power.
01:45Number 19, the Iran hostage crisis.
01:48Good evening. The U.S. Embassy in Tehran has been invaded and occupied by Iranian students.
01:53The Americans inside have been taken prisoner, and according to a student spokesman,
01:57will be held as hostages until the deposed Shah is returned from the United States,
02:02where he's receiving medical treatment for cancer.
02:04Beginning on November 4, 1979, the Iran hostage crisis saw 52 Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy
02:12in Tehran, and quickly became a nightly fixture on U.S. television.
02:16In fact, ABC News launched a dedicated late-night program for the tragedy called
02:20America Held Hostage, which later evolved into the now-famous Nightline.
02:25The network provided daily updates, expert analysis, and interviews,
02:29keeping the American public closely informed for the entire 444-day ordeal.
02:35While there was no live footage from inside the embassy,
02:37major news outlets used photos, press briefings, and video from outside the compound
02:42to inform American viewers of the unfolding crisis, which finally concluded on January 20, 1981,
02:49with the signing of the Algiers Accord.
02:51Let me just tell you quickly that this is the hour when Good Morning America would normally begin.
02:56However, as those who have been watching so far this morning already know,
02:59there has been the startling new development in the Iran hostage crisis.
03:03Number 18. Live Aid
03:04Crazy can mean multiple things, and sometimes it has good connotations.
03:16Like Live Aid, a massive, dual-venue benefit concert
03:20that was simultaneously held in both London and Philadelphia, on July 13, 1985.
03:25The concert was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Yor to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief,
03:31and it quickly became one of the most iconic music events in history.
03:36It was truly unprecedented in scale for a live television event,
03:40featuring over 70 major acts, split across two continents, and lasting for more than 16 hours.
03:47Pulling off Live Aid was a monumental effort of technological coordination,
03:51and it remains one of the most ambitious TV broadcasts ever attempted.
03:55Number 17. Joe Theismann's Broken Leg
04:04And everything is starting to collapse, and all of a sudden, I feel somebody grab my left shoulder,
04:09and I swung around, and it was Lawrence, and he wouldn't let go.
04:12Football fans witnessed one of the worst injuries in sports history on November 18, 1985.
04:18Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor tackled quarterback Joe Theismann,
04:22his knee interacting with Theismann's leg in a way that essentially snapped it in half.
04:27The quarterback's tibia and fibula were both fractured in the tackle,
04:31and his leg bent at a horrific angle.
04:34A grisly scythe that was not only shown live, but broadcast again and again in slow motion.
04:40Meanwhile, the commentators repeatedly expressed disgust,
04:43and the repeated visual was simply too graphic for many to stomach.
04:46Luckily, Theismann would walk again, but his broken leg was left shorter due to insufficient bone recovery,
04:53and his football career was over.
04:55The pain is more than I've ever gone through in my life, in any phase of my life,
04:59whether it be athletics or hitting myself with a hammer.
05:02Number 16. The Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana
05:05The Royal Family held far more cultural sway in the 80s than they do today.
05:26As such, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana was an unforgettable day that many continue to cherish.
05:32A global audience of 750 million people watched as the couple married on July 29th, 1981.
05:40Dozens of live TV cameras captured the procession from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul's Cathedral,
05:45the ceremony inside St. Paul's, the return route to Buckingham, and the famous balcony kiss.
05:51The wedding was a true spectacle,
05:53and the broadcast was the technological marvel befitting its scope and bombast.
05:58We'll have more coverage, of course, of all the activities here,
06:02from Buckingham Palace and The Root.
06:04The Royal Wedding continues on NBC.
06:07Number 15. Air Florida Flight 90.
06:10I found myself immediately on the verge of blacking out.
06:14I said a brief prayer,
06:15please God, take care of my son, today's his birthday,
06:18and I didn't expect to regain consciousness.
06:20A horrible plane crash occurred on January 13th, 1982,
06:24when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
06:30While the initial crash was not aired on TV, local news crews quickly arrived at the scene,
06:35and the rescue operation was broadcast live across the country,
06:39as national networks pick up the story.
06:41Dramatic footage showed survivors desperately clinging to life in the icy waters,
06:45and the heroic rescue efforts from both trained professionals and everyday citizens hoping to help.
06:51The rawness of the broadcast was shocking,
06:54with viewers seeing courage, helplessness, and tragedy occur in real time.
06:59In the end, just five of the aircraft's occupants survived,
07:03and four motorists were also killed in the collision.
07:05Obviously, here, this is a helicopter just moving around, trying…
07:09You can see, just beyond the helicopter, portions of the wreckage.
07:12Number 14. Clint Malarchuk
07:14He had his hand on his throat, and in one split second,
07:18there was a three-foot puddle of blood in front of him, soon to be fighting.
07:22Arguably the most grisly sports injury of all time,
07:25occurred on March 22nd, 1989,
07:27during a hockey game between the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues.
07:30In the first period, Steve Tuttle collided with Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk,
07:36his skate flying up and slicing Malarchuk's exposed throat.
07:41Luckily, the live TV feeds were quick to cut away,
07:44but not before viewers had already seen way more than they would have liked.
07:48The commentators were audibly distraught, and begged viewers not to look,
07:51and there were many reports of people having a visceral reaction to the sight,
07:55like fainting and vomiting.
07:57Miraculously, Malarchuk skated off the ice and survived,
08:01although his near-death experience resulted in a continuing battle with PTSD.
08:06It was horrendous.
08:08It was like watching your kid die.
08:11Number 13. The Rescue of Jessica McClure
08:14Dan, it looks like they're getting ready to bring something up from the hole.
08:17I can't tell. They're tightening the slack on the cable,
08:21and people are moving in very, very close to the hole.
08:26Two doctors are right on the edge.
08:28Everyone loves a good rescue and survival story.
08:31That's why the country was left utterly captivated in October of 1987,
08:36when officials rescued Jessica McClure from a well.
08:39The child fell into a well in her aunt's backyard, dropping 22 feet underground.
08:43For the next 58 hours, authorities desperately worked on a rescue,
08:48while national TV crews swarmed the farm and provided minute-by-minute updates.
08:53Live coverage was intense and continuous,
08:55with networks often switching from regular programming to live updates,
08:59the cameras capturing every second of the thrilling rescue effort.
09:03And many were brought to tears on the evening of October 16th,
09:07when Jessica finally emerged.
09:08The event quickly became a cultural phenomenon, a defining moment of the 1980s.
09:14And they want to make certain that when they bring her up,
09:17that she is all right and there are no difficulties here.
09:24Here she comes. There's clapping.
09:27Number 12. The Fall of the Berlin Wall.
09:30From ABC, this is World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.
09:34Reporting tonight from Berlin.
09:36From the Berlin Wall, specifically, take a look at them.
09:40They've been there since last night.
09:41They are here in the thousands.
09:43They are here in the tens of thousands.
09:45The world was hit with a sudden and dramatic turning point on November 9th, 1989,
09:49when the Berlin Wall came down,
09:51and symbolized the collapse of communist control in Eastern Europe.
09:55The event was extensively covered in the media,
09:58with visuals showing crowds gathering at border crossings,
10:01people climbing the wall,
10:02and scenes of intense celebration and jubilation.
10:05Both CNN and BBC played major roles in bringing the live scenes to English-speaking audiences,
10:11and major networks stopped regular programming to show live satellite feeds from Berlin.
10:16The media coverage turned the fall of the wall into an unforgettable cultural event,
10:21a moment that many had waited decades to occur,
10:24and which eventually paved the way for the end of the Cold War.
10:27It has been an astonishing day.
10:30Hour after hour, all through today,
10:31thousands and thousands of West Germans have come to the wall to see for themselves,
10:37to climb up on this hideous structure,
10:39to finally look down at what has been no man's land for so long.
10:43Number 11.
10:44Pope John Paul II assassination attempt.
10:46It's perhaps difficult for some younger viewers,
10:49in this age of instantaneous information,
10:52to understand how some news stories used to impact their shared viewership in real time.
10:56Amongst the cheering and the peal of bells announcing the arrival of the Pope,
11:00they heard gunfire,
11:02and saw the Pope turn pale,
11:03and collapse bloody into the arms of his aide.
11:06The news of an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Turkey's Mehmet Ali Agka
11:12unfolded on the nightly news,
11:14a shocking development that not only affected Catholics,
11:17but individuals around the world.
11:19The rest of the world is trying to adjust to the shock of this attack
11:22on the life of Pope John Paul II.
11:24The images of assassins' bullets hitting the pontiff were troubling,
11:27as was the history of Ali Agka,
11:30a hitman who had already murdered a journalist, Abdi Apekci, in 1979.
11:34Pope John Paul II, in the meantime,
11:37forgave Ali Agka for his crimes,
11:40with the latter serving a combined 29 years before being released in 2010.
11:45The former terrorist says he will travel to Rome
11:47because he feels a duty to pray at the tomb of John Paul II.
11:50Number 10.
11:511987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake.
11:54Local and national news reporters have a lot on their collective plates
11:58when it comes to distributing all of the information they can about natural disasters,
12:03like the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake.
12:06The nation's second largest city had virtually been brought to its knees
12:09by the most powerful earthquake to hit there in 16 years.
12:11This Los Angeles area quake received extensive coverage
12:15via local NBC affiliates in the area,
12:18documenting all of the damage and injuries,
12:21while also reporting rescue and recovery efforts.
12:23300 people evacuated from a 12-block area tonight.
12:27No one's being let in. You can see why.
12:29The 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake ended up causing
12:32between $213 and $358 million in damage,
12:37and 200 reported injuries, including three deaths.
12:41An intense quake that rocked Los Angeles area businesses,
12:44homes, and infrastructure.
12:46Were you scared?
12:47No. Oh, no. Oh, no. I have Jesus.
12:50When you have the Lord, you don't really get frightened.
12:53Number 9.
12:54Murdoch Train Explosion.
12:55It was a perfect storm of sorts,
12:58with the most imperfect resulting outcome.
13:00A railroad train that derailed in the small, unincorporated town of Murdoch, Illinois.
13:05Soon after the derailment, a tanker of propane gas burst into flame.
13:09Live video was captured of this incident
13:11when the train from Baltimore and Ohio caught fire after the afternoon derailment.
13:16The fire became exacerbated by petroleum gas that was filling up with the train's tanks.
13:21The fire was only on one car at the time.
13:24And the boys at the truck, they had started putting water on it.
13:29And it got too hot and they just pulled back.
13:33This resulted in a massive, expanding vapor explosion of boiling liquid.
13:37Blast so powerful that train cars were actually expelled from the ground into the nearby wooded areas.
13:44Local and international news outlets alike shared video from this disaster to audiences around the country.
13:51The danger may be over, but officials are still monitoring the scene.
13:54Number 8.
13:55The Death of Tommy Cooper.
13:57Known for his massive frame and red fez,
13:59Tommy Cooper was a brilliant entertainer who fused magic with comedy,
14:03creating an act that was famous on British TV.
14:05Unfortunately, he was also a very unhealthy man, being a heavy smoker and drinker.
14:11On April 15th, 1984,
14:13Cooper performed in front of 12 million viewers on a variety show called Live From Her Majesties.
14:19All right, who did it?
14:20Partway through his act, Cooper became unresponsive and collapsed.
14:24As he was known for his kooky brand of humor,
14:26the audience thought it was all part of the act and laughed,
14:28not knowing that he had suffered a fatal heart attack.
14:31My wife said, oh, there can't be anything wrong because they would have cut it out.
14:35And I said, no, it's lie.
14:36Cooper was rushed to the hospital, but was announced dead on arrival.
14:40He's left a gap early, hasn't he?
14:41He said we shall miss him very much.
14:43Number 7.
14:44Bhopal disaster.
14:46Documentaries and news stories alike have documented the tragic Bhopal disaster of 1984.
14:51Yesterday, Union Carbide suspended production of methyl isocyanate here to check the safety system
14:58and suspended shipments of the substance to other plants.
15:01It's still known today as the largest industrial disaster to ever afflict the world,
15:06having resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people.
15:09The numbers are actually even more complicated than that,
15:13since some sources claim that the actual number of claimed fatalities to number more than 16,000.
15:19Let us learn during this time to forgive.
15:22It's very important that no bitterness, no anger dwells in our hearts.
15:29But hundreds in Bhopal were not in a forgiving mood, chanting Union Carbide is a killer.
15:35Furthermore, over half a million injuries were also attributed to the methyl isocyanate gas leak
15:41that emerged from a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
15:47I am confident that the victims can be fairly and equitably compensated
15:52without a material adverse effect on the financial condition of Union Carbide Corporation.
15:57Number 6. Ronald Reagan assassination attempt.
16:00I can hear you see the president coming out now.
16:01It was one of those moments where the world stopped,
16:04and every American was acutely aware of where they were
16:07when they saw the images of former President Ronald Reagan being shot by John Hinckley Jr.
16:13Traumatic, collective American memories of John F. Kennedy likely came flooding back
16:18to those of a certain age, while home audiences held their breath and waited for news.
16:22I'm just being told now that the president has not returned to the White House.
16:27Reagan did ultimately survive the attack, although Hinckley Jr.'s actions were not without consequence.
16:34White House Press Secretary James Brady suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of the gunshots.
16:39He eventually passed away in 2014, after successfully lobbying for stricter gun control.
16:45Yet, despite it all, Jim Brady still has a sense of humor.
16:49I've learned that it is smarter to duck.
16:52Number 5. The Loma Prieta earthquake.
16:55The eyes of many American sports fans were transfixed upon Game 3 of the 1989 World Series matchup
17:02between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics.
17:04So, the Oakland A's take the...
17:07Take the...
17:08It was during TV coverage of this game where the news of that year's Loma Prieta earthquake
17:12began interrupting World Series coverage.
17:15The damage associated with the Loma Prieta earthquake has been estimated at between $14.2
17:20and $15.2 billion when adjusted for inflation.
17:24No power anywhere in the city.
17:26No phones.
17:27No word on how extensive the damage was.
17:30Tsunamis and various landslides also occurred in the aftermath of this 6.9 magnitude quake,
17:37while the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, California collapsed as a result of the impact.
17:42Finally, 63 deaths and over 3,000 injuries were also attributed to this record-setting natural disaster.
17:49For some, it took years to recover.
17:52For many, the emotional scars still remain.
17:55Number 4. R. Bud Dwyer's Demise.
17:58On January 20th, 1981, R. Bud Dwyer became the 70th Treasurer of Pennsylvania,
18:04and he would remain as such for the next six years.
18:07Unfortunately, Dwyer was embroiled in a scandal when it was found that he accepted a bribe
18:12from Computer Technology Associates to award them with a contract regarding a state tax issue.
18:18After a trial that lasted over a month, both men were found guilty.
18:21He was found guilty, and his sentencing was scheduled for January 23rd, 1987.
18:27He could have faced around 50 years in prison.
18:29Right up until the end, Dwyer maintained his innocence.
18:33But the day before his sentence was to be handed down, Dwyer held a news conference and subsequently shot himself with a revolver.
18:40He died instantly, with one news camera capturing the event and broadcasting it on live television.
18:46The incident caught viewers off guard.
18:47Number 3. Mount St. Helens Erupts.
18:50The major eruption of an active volcano is something that all of us hope we never have to experience in our lifetimes.
18:58There had been two strong earthquakes just before 8.32 a.m. on May 18th.
19:02The bulge could stand no more, and as it broke loose and thundered down the mountain,
19:06it did so with a speed that kept millions of tons of earth airborne for the first several hundred yards.
19:12Yet the 1980s eruption of Mount St. Helens was a televised natural disaster that unfolded in real time in living rooms around the world.
19:21There was fear and there was death on Dark Sunday, when the day turned pitch black at noon.
19:26Over $3.5 billion in damage was attributed to the blast when adjusted for inflation.
19:32An additional 57 deaths were also reported, while ash deposits from the Mount St. Helens blast were expelled into 11 U.S. states, as well as five provinces in Canada.
19:44Meanwhile, footage of the actual eruption remains a grim reminder of Mother Nature's fierce and unpredictable legacy.
19:50Every time the wind comes up, this stuff will just blow again.
19:55Number 2. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
19:58There may not have been any direct human deaths attributed to the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill,
20:04but that doesn't make the environmental impact from the disaster any less tragic.
20:09Day 10 of the oil spill crisis and the cleanup effort still just beginning.
20:13What's even more troubling is how time couldn't even stop such a tragic oil spill from occurring again,
20:19since the over 10 million gallons of crude oil expelled into Alaskan waters were trumped by the Deepwater Horizon spill from 2010.
20:27It's been obvious since the spill cam went public that BP had been wrong,
20:36either through incompetence or lying from the very beginning.
20:40Yet, what both of these senseless spills have in common is the fact that both received international television coverage,
20:46as they happened in real time.
20:48If you just let the water stand for even just a minute, then the oil blobs will start to show.
20:54Still there, 21 years after the spill.
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21:13Number 1. The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
21:16Every 80s kid surely remembers the Challenger disaster.
21:20There was a ton of hype behind this launch, led mainly by the Teacher in Space project,
21:25which allowed New Hampshire school teacher Krista McAuliffe to fly with six other astronauts.
21:30And liftoff! Liftoff!
21:32The project was enormously popular, generating widespread interest in the Challenger launch
21:37and kick-starting a cultural fascination with space exploration.
21:40As a result, schools around the country tuned in and allowed their students to watch the Challenger launch live on TV.
21:47But on January 28, 1986, they all watched the Space Shuttle explode in real time, killing everyone on board.
21:54At 11.40 a.m. this morning, Space Program experienced a national tragedy.
22:01It was a national disaster of epic proportions, and one that will never be forgotten.
22:06I thought it was a dream. I was speechless for a few minutes.
22:10Did you happen to see any of these live? Let us know in the comments below.
22:14Oh, please take the camera off, but don't even bring it over there, please.
22:18Oh, my God.
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