- yesterday
When disaster struck in the 1980s, television cameras were often rolling. Join us as we examine the shocking moments when tragedy unfolded live on screens across America and worldwide. From catastrophic natural disasters to horrifying accidents and violent attacks, these events forever changed how we experience breaking news and collective trauma through media.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Let's go down to the Kennedy Space Center and take a look at Challenger sitting on the
00:03pad…
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing incidents of live, on-air coverage
00:08of tragic or catastrophic events.
00:11I want to assure everyone that Exxon is mobilizing all available resources…
00:16Pope John Paul II assassination attempt.
00:20It's perhaps difficult for some younger viewers, in this age of instantaneous information,
00:25to understand how some news stories used to impact their shared viewership in real time.
00:30Amongst the cheering and the peal of bells announcing the arrival of the Pope, they heard gunfire
00:35and saw the Pope turn pale and collapse bloody into the arms of his aid.
00:40The news of an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Turkey's Mehmet Ali Agke
00:45unfolded on the nightly news, a shocking development that not only affected Catholics, but individuals
00:51around the world.
00:52The rest of the world is trying to adjust to the shock of this attack on the life of
00:55Pope John Paul II.
00:57The images of assassins' bullets hitting the pontiff were troubling, as was the history
01:02of Ali Agke, a hitman who had already murdered a journalist, Abdi Apekci, in 1979.
01:08Pope John Paul II, in the meantime, forgave Ali Agke for his crimes, with the latter serving
01:14a combined 29 years before being released in 2010.
01:18The former terrorist says he will travel to Rome because he feels a duty to pray at the
01:22tomb of John Paul II.
01:241987 Whittier Narrows earthquake.
01:27Local and national news reporters have a lot on their collective plates when it comes
01:31to distributing all of the information they can about natural disasters, like the 1987
01:36Whittier Narrows earthquake.
01:38The nation's second largest city had virtually been brought to its knees by the most powerful
01:42earthquake to hit there in 16 years.
01:43This Los Angeles-area quake received extensive coverage via local NBC affiliates in the area,
01:50documenting all of the damage and injuries, while also reporting rescue and recovery efforts.
01:55300 people evacuated from a 12-block area tonight, no one's being let in, you can see why.
02:01The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake ended up causing between $213 and $358 million in damage,
02:09and 200 reported injuries, including three deaths.
02:13An intense quake that rocked Los Angeles-area businesses, homes, and infrastructure.
02:17Were you scared?
02:18No.
02:19Oh, no.
02:20Oh, no.
02:21I have Jesus.
02:22When you have the Lord, you don't really get frightened.
02:25Murdoch train explosion.
02:26It was a perfect storm of sorts, with the most imperfect resulting outcome — a railroad
02:32train that derailed in the small, unincorporated town of Murdoch, Illinois.
02:35Soon after the derailment, a tanker of propane gas burst into flame.
02:40Live video was captured of this incident when the train from Baltimore and Ohio caught fire
02:45after the afternoon derailment.
02:47The fire became exacerbated by petroleum gas that was filling up with the train's tanks.
02:52The fire was only on one car at the time, and the boys at the truck, they had started
02:58putting water on it, and it got too hot and they just pulled back.
03:04This resulted in a massive, expanding vapor explosion of boiling liquid — blasts so powerful
03:10that train cars were actually expelled from the ground into the nearby wooded areas.
03:16People and international news outlets alike shared video from this disaster to audiences
03:20around the country.
03:21The danger may be over, but officials are still monitoring the scene.
03:25Tommy Cooper.
03:26Known for his massive frame and red fez, Tommy Cooper was a brilliant entertainer who fused
03:31magic with comedy, creating an act that was famous on British TV.
03:35Unfortunately, he was also a very unhealthy man, being a heavy smoker and drinker.
03:40On April 15, 1984, Cooper performed in front of 12 million viewers on a variety show called
03:46Live from Her Majesty's.
03:50Partway through his act, Cooper became unresponsive and collapsed.
03:53As he was known for his kooky brand of humor, the audience thought it was all part of the
03:57act and laughed, not knowing that he had suffered a fatal heart attack.
04:00My wife said, oh, there can't be anything wrong, because they would have cut it out.
04:05And I said, no, it's live.
04:06Cooper was rushed to the hospital, but was announced dead on arrival.
04:10He's left a gap early, hasn't he?
04:11We shall miss him very much.
04:12Bhopal disaster.
04:14Documentaries and news stories alike have documented the tragic Bhopal disaster of 1984.
04:20Yesterday, Union Carbide suspended production of methyl isocyanate here to check the safety
04:26system and suspended shipments of the substance to other plants.
04:30It's still known today as the largest industrial disaster to ever afflict the world, having
04:35resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people.
04:38The numbers are actually even more complicated than that, since some sources claim that the
04:43actual number of claimed fatalities to number more than 16,000.
04:47Let us learn during this time to forgive.
04:51It's very important that no bitterness, no anger dwells in our hearts.
04:58But hundreds in Bhopal were not in a forgiving mood, chanting Union Carbide is a killer.
05:03Furthermore, over half a million injuries were also attributed to the methyl isocyanate
05:09gas leak that emerged from a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya
05:15Westesh, India.
05:16I am confident that the victims can be fairly and equitably compensated without a material
05:21adverse effect on the financial condition of Union Carbide Corporation.
05:25Ronald Reagan assassination attempt.
05:27I can hear you see the President coming out now.
05:30It was one of those moments where the world stopped, and every American was acutely aware
05:34of where they were when they saw the images of former President Ronald Reagan being shot
05:39by John Hinckley Jr. Traumatic, collective American memories of John F. Kennedy likely
05:45came flooding back to those of a certain age, while home audiences held their breath and
05:50waited for news.
05:51I'm just being told now that the President has not returned to the White House.
05:56Reagan did ultimately survive the attack, although Hinckley Jr.'s actions were not without consequence.
06:02White House Press Secretary James Brady suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of the gunshots.
06:08He eventually passed away in 2014, after successfully lobbying for stricter gun control.
06:14Yet, despite it all, Jim Brady still has a sense of humor.
06:17I've learned that it is smarter to duck.
06:20The Loma Prieta earthquake.
06:22The eyes of many American sports fans were transfixed upon Game 3 of the 1989 World Series
06:28matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics.
06:32So the Oakland A's take the ball.
06:35It was during TV coverage of this game where the news of that year's Loma Prieta earthquake
06:40began interrupting World Series coverage.
06:42The damage associated with the Loma Prieta earthquake has been estimated at between $14.2
06:48and $15.2 billion when adjusted for inflation.
06:51No power anywhere in the city.
06:53No phones.
06:54No word on how extensive the damage was.
06:58Tsunamis and various landslides also occurred in the aftermath of this 6.9 magnitude quake,
07:04while the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, California collapsed as a result of the impact.
07:09Finally, 63 deaths and over 3,000 injuries were also attributed to this record-setting natural
07:16disaster.
07:17For some, it took years to recover.
07:19For many, the emotional scars still remain.
07:22R. Bud Dwyer
07:24On January 20, 1981, R. Bud Dwyer became the 70th treasurer of Pennsylvania, and he would
07:30remain as such for the next six years.
07:33Unfortunately, Dwyer was embroiled in a scandal when it was found that he accepted a bribe from
07:38Computer Technology Associates to award them with a contract regarding a state tax issue.
07:44After a trial that lasted over a month, both men were found guilty.
07:47He was found guilty, and his sentencing was scheduled for January 23, 1987.
07:53He could have faced around 50 years in prison.
07:55Right up until the end, Dwyer maintained his innocence.
07:58But the day before his sentence was to be handed down, Dwyer held a news conference and
08:03subsequently shot himself with a revolver.
08:06He died instantly, with one news camera capturing the event and broadcasting it on live television.
08:11The incident caught viewers off guard.
08:13The Falklands War
08:15The Vietnam War has often been labeled as the first television war, thanks to nightly broadcasts
08:20and updates from news outlets.
08:22For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in
08:28a stalemate.
08:29And although it's true that activities during this war weren't broadcast in real time,
08:34in a way we might expect today, coverage was broadcast in a comparatively timely manner.
08:39The British now seem confident.
08:41The Union Jack is flying in at least part of the Falklands, and they predict it will soon
08:44be a common sight throughout the islands.
08:46The relative brevity of this ten-week war also meant that what was being aired in the United
08:51Kingdom and around the world was relevant to the national conversation.
08:55This was a controversial war, with a lot of moving parts, that affected both the UK and
09:00Argentina in ways that are still being discussed today.
09:25The Hillsborough disaster.
09:29Live sporting events can certainly end in disaster, and broadcast death to millions of viewers.
09:35On April 15th, 1989, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were playing each other in the FA Cup
09:40semi-final.
09:41Liverpool fans were only given one access point into the stadium, resulting in a severe bottleneck.
09:47The oppressive overcrowding eventually led to a fatal crush, as thousands of spectators
09:52were trapped in the fenced-in standing pen.
09:58Over 90 died, and nearly 800 were injured.
10:01Three more victims passed throughout the years from their injuries, bringing the death toll
10:05to 97.
10:07The tragedy was initially blamed on hooliganism, but later inquiries found that the design of
10:12the stadium and the negligence of the police were responsible.
10:15The extent to which tragedy has touched the game throughout the whole country, and beyond
10:19these shores, is apparent.
10:21Mount St. Helens erupts.
10:23The major eruption of an active volcano is something that all of us hope we never have
10:28to experience in our lifetimes.
10:30There had been two strong earthquakes just before 8.32am on May 18th.
10:35The bulge could stand no more, and as it broke loose and thundered down the mountain, it did
10:40so with a speed that kept millions of tons of earth airborne for the first several hundred
10:44yards.
10:45Yet the 1980s eruption of Mount St. Helens was a televised natural disaster that unfolded
10:50in real time in living rooms around the world.
10:53There was fear and there was death on Dark Sunday, when the day turned pitch black at noon.
10:59Over $3.5 billion in damage was attributed to the blast, when adjusted for inflation.
11:05An additional 57 deaths were also reported, while ash deposits from the Mount St. Helens
11:11blast were expelled into 11 U.S. states, as well as five provinces in Canada.
11:17Meanwhile, footage of the actual eruption remains a grim reminder of Mother Nature's fierce and
11:22unpredictable legacy.
11:24Every time the wind comes up, this stuff will just blow again.
11:29Exxon Valdez oil spill.
11:31There may not have been any direct human deaths attributed to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill,
11:36but that doesn't make the environmental impact from the disaster any less tragic.
11:41Day 10 of the oil spill crisis and the clean-up effort still just beginning.
11:45What's even more troubling is how time couldn't even stop such a tragic oil spill from occurring
11:50again, since the over 10 million gallons of crude oil expelled into Alaskan waters were
11:56trumped by the Deepwater Horizon spill from 2010.
11:59It's been obvious since the spill cam went public that BP had been wrong, either through
12:09incompetence or lying from the very beginning.
12:11Yet, what both of these senseless spills have in common is the fact that both received international
12:17television coverage, as they happened in real time.
12:20If you just let the water stand for even just a minute, then the oil blobs will start to
12:25show.
12:26Still there, 21 years after the spill.
12:29The Chernobyl disaster.
12:31The Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union was still very much in
12:35effect when the Chernobyl disaster occurred back in 1986.
12:38The first signs of a nuclear accident came this morning at a Swedish nuclear power plant.
12:44A worker set off an alarm because his clothes registered high radiation levels.
12:48The tensions from this era resulted in a delayed release of information from the USSR, although
12:54American news outlets were reporting within days of the April 26 reactor explosion that killed
12:59over 30 people.
13:01We do know that the Russian workmanship is much cruder than ours, faulty welds, the kind
13:07of thing that we see, but on a much greater scale.
13:09This was as live as many Americans got to the clean-up efforts and ramifications of the radiation
13:15sickness that afflicted those that were tragically caught in the nuclear fallout, a sobering series
13:20of reports that captured the attention of viewers around the world.
13:24Officially, little comment from the president or his aides.
13:27As far as the United States is concerned, we don't see any dangerous situation.
13:31Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.
13:34It took the combined effort of foreign media outlets reporting upon the 1989 Tiananmen Square
13:39protests and massacre to reveal defining images of this student-led uprising.
13:45Images such as that of the Tank Man, an unknown protester standing in the path
13:49of oncoming Chinese armored artillery.
13:52Foreign footage of the protests, and of the disputed death toll of the violent Tiananmen
13:56Square clashes, spread information to the world, just as China's own media censored and attempted
14:02to control their narrative.
14:03The closest parallel that I can think of to this is people power in the Philippines in 1986.
14:11The resulting work from outlets like CNN and the BBC allowed for the legacy of these protests
14:16and of the massacre to live on, despite attempts to erase them from China's history.
14:20The Challenger disaster.
14:39Every 80s kid surely remembers the Challenger disaster.
14:43There was a ton of hype behind this launch, led mainly by the Teacher in Space project,
14:48which allowed New Hampshire schoolteacher Krista McAuliffe to fly with six other astronauts.
14:53And liftoff! Liftoff!
14:56The project was enormously popular, generating widespread interest in the Challenger launch
15:00and kick-starting a cultural fascination with space exploration.
15:04As a result, schools around the country tuned in and allowed their students to watch the Challenger
15:08launch live on TV. But on January 28th, 1986, they all watched the space shuttle explode in
15:15real time, killing everyone on board.
15:18At 11.40 a.m. this morning, space program experienced a national tragedy.
15:24It was a national disaster of epic proportions, and one that will never be forgotten.
15:29I thought it was a dream. I was speechless for a few minutes.
15:34Can you remember watching any of this footage live as it was happening? What are your thoughts
15:39on our ever-present access to live information? Let us know in the comments.
15:43When we first saw the explosion, we didn't know exactly what had happened.
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