From shocking sports moments to global disasters, political upheavals, and historic turning points, we're diving into the most jaw-dropping events that defined the last half-century. Buckle up for a wild ride through 50 incredible moments that changed the world forever!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It looks to me like the demonstrators are either moving out or moving or changing locations.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most headline-making,
00:09attention-grabbing moments from the last half century.
00:12We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.
00:17Number 50.
00:18Malice at the Palace.
00:20The beauty about live sports is that anything can happen.
00:23Not only is the game's outcome completely unpredictable, but so are the players' behaviors.
00:27The so-called Malice at the Palace occurred on November 19, 2004, during a game between
00:32the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.
00:34With about 45 seconds left, Pacers player Ron Artest fouled Piston Ben Wallace, prompting
00:40Wallace to shove him violently.
00:48The players got heated, and after a fan threw a cup at Artest, the fight spread into the
00:54Nine players were suspended, ten people were charged with assault, and the NBA implemented
01:04many new reforms to prevent future incidents.
01:07In short, it's one of the worst fights in sporting history.
01:13Number 49.
01:14The assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
01:17Just a few short months after the Reagan assassination attempt, another shocking event occurred when
01:21Pope John Paul II was critically wounded by a bullet in St. Peter's Square in Vatican
01:25City.
01:34The attempt on the Pope's life occurred in full view of thousands of people gathered
01:38in the square and millions more watching live on television.
01:41As the Pope rode through the crowd in his open vehicle, Mehmet Ali Aca fired several
01:46shots, striking the Pope in the abdomen.
01:53The immediate aftermath, including the swift response by Vatican security and bystanders
01:57to aid the Pope, was broadcast live.
02:00Pope John Paul II was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery, eventually
02:04making a full recovery.
02:14Number 48.
02:15The landing of JetBlue Flight 292.
02:18JetBlue Flight 292, an airplane traveling from Burbank to New York, made headlines on
02:22September 21, 2005.
02:30The pilots discovered a malfunction that stopped the plane's landing gear from retracting.
02:35This prompted an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport.
02:38However, there was too much fuel in the plane, which posed a dangerous risk upon touchdown.
02:43As a result, they had to fly over Los Angeles for hours, drawing the attention of national
02:48news outlets.
02:56Many viewers, including those on the plane itself, tuned in to watch the developments.
03:01What could have been a fiery crash that cost lives ended up a safe, if rather sparky landing.
03:07Luckily, no one was injured in the ordeal.
03:13Number 47.
03:14The San Francisco Earthquake.
03:15The Loma Prieta earthquake, striking on October 17, 1989 with a magnitude of 6.9, became one
03:22of the most memorable disasters of the 1980s, partially because it occurred just as the
03:27third game of the World Series was about to begin at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.
03:39The quake caused significant destruction across the Bay Area, particularly in San Francisco
03:44and Oakland.
03:45It was responsible for the collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland, where 42
03:50people lost their lives, and the partial collapse of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
03:59Live television broadcasts captured the chaos, including the swaying of the bridge and the
04:04dust clouds enveloping the collapsed structures, hastened the retrofitting of infrastructure
04:09across California.
04:19Number 46.
04:20Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield.
04:23If we tell you to name a famous moment in boxing, chances are you'll quickly mention
04:27the Mike Tyson ear bite.
04:35The fight was between Tyson and Evander Holyfield, and they were battling for the WBA Heavyweight
04:40Championship.
04:41It took place in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and was broadcast live pay-per-view.
04:45However, the fight ended in a startlingly anticlimactic but legendary manner when Tyson
04:51bit off a piece of Holyfield's hearing organ.
04:59Tyson was disqualified, ending the bout in less than three full rounds.
05:04But when the initial disappointment wore off, it left behind an iconic piece of pop culture
05:09history.
05:12Number 45.
05:13Mount St. Helens eruption.
05:15On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State, resulting in one of the
05:20most catastrophic volcanic events in the history of the United States.
05:34The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam venting episodes,
05:39signaling imminent volcanic activity.
05:41The actual eruption began with a massive landslide on the volcano's north face, triggered by
05:46a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, leading to the exposure of the volcano's magma chamber and
05:51a colossal lateral blast.
05:59This explosion flattened vegetation and buildings over 230 square miles, and hurled ash up to
06:0580,000 feet into the air.
06:07Broadcast live, this dramatic natural disaster caused 57 deaths and extensive damage to property
06:13and the surrounding landscape, with ash dispersing across 11 U.S. states.
06:25Number 44.
06:27Olympic marathon runner is tackled.
06:28It was the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and Brazilian runner Wanderlei de Lima was
06:33hoping to score big in the men's marathon.
06:35De Lima was leading the race by around 25 seconds when he was attacked by an Irish priest
06:40named Neil Horan.
06:45Horan, who is also referred to as the Armageddon Priest, had become infamous for disrupting
06:53sporting events to propagate his belief of a fast-approaching apocalypse.
06:56The Irishman shoved De Lima off the track and into the crowd, subduing him until he
07:00was pushed off by a spectator.
07:02As a result, De Lima lost his composure and the lead, eventually finishing in third place.
07:11Horan was later dismissed from the clergy.
07:22Number 43.
07:23The assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
07:26On March 30, 1981, the United States was shocked when President Ronald Reagan was shot by John
07:32Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.
07:41The assassination attempt also wounded press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent
07:45Timothy McCarthy, and police officer Thomas Delahenty.
07:49Viewers watched as the chaotic scene unfolded, seeing Secret Service and law enforcement
07:53swiftly react to protect the president and subdue the assailant.
07:56Hinckley, they say, wanted to kill the president and gain fame to impress actress Jodie Foster.
08:03They say he was obsessed with Foster and watched her movie Taxi Driver 15 times.
08:10Reagan was quickly rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where he underwent emergency
08:14surgery.
08:15This event significantly influenced the Secret Service's protective procedures and had
08:20a profound impact on national television audiences, who had never before seen an assassination
08:25attempt unfold in real time.
08:27The Secret Service relies on a perimeter system of protection.
08:31The outer is a preliminary check by local police.
08:35The middle has Secret Service agents searching for weapons.
08:39The Vancouver Canucks may have one of the most infamous fan bases in sports history.
08:57In 2011, following the professional ice hockey team's loss to the Boston Bruins in Game
09:027 of the Stanley Cup Finals, fans took to the streets.
09:05They rioted, setting fire to cars and looting several businesses.
09:17An estimated 140 people were injured that night, with 112 local shops losing approximately
09:23$2.7 million to theft and damages.
09:31The berserk backlash played out on television screens across the nation and around the world,
09:36causing many to ask themselves how and why the fervent fans were able to get so out of
09:40hand.
09:41The fans arrived long before most of the police.
09:48We all know how dangerous NASCAR can be, but that still doesn't prepare you for what
09:52can happen when things really do go wrong.
09:55A titan of the sport, Dale Earnhardt, along with his son Dale Earnhardt Jr., made sure
10:00the surname was synonymous with the sport of race car driving.
10:03Which is why his sudden death during the last lap of the Daytona 500 was so surreal for
10:07millions of viewers.
10:09As the footage shows, Earnhardt's car made slight contact with another car, causing him
10:13to lose control and slam into the wall at around 160 miles per hour.
10:18Sadly, emergency responders were unable to revive him, and suffice it to say, Earnhardt's
10:23death prompted further safety measures to be enforced.
10:2640.
10:27The Invasion of Iraq
10:28At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations
10:34to disarm Iraq, to free its people.
10:37The Iraq War was extensively covered in the media, and much of it was captured on live
10:42television.
10:43The invasion began in March of 2003, and viewers were given an uncomfortable glimpse into the
10:48realities of war.
10:49Gunfire echoed and explosions rocked the air, sending plumes of black smoke drifting into
10:54the night sky.
10:55It was a nightmarish scene, like something out of Apocalypse Now.
10:59For many, this footage served as the end of an era, or maybe the beginning of one.
11:04The drama continued throughout the months, as audiences were soon shown a televised documentation
11:09of Iraq President Saddam Hussein's statue being toppled on April 9th.
11:1339.
11:19The Launch of the MP3
11:21Have you ever heard the song Tom's Diner by Susanne Wege?
11:29Either way, you will never think of it the same way after this.
11:33It was that song used by scientist Karl-Heinz Brandenburg to build the algorithm behind
11:37the MP3 audio file due to its clarity and Wege's voice.
11:52Introduced in 1995, this new digital format allowed songs to be compressed by as much
11:57as 12 times their original size.
12:00This triggered a tsunami-sized change in the way consumers would acquire music.
12:05People immediately began ripping their CDs to MP3 files and sharing them through online
12:10apps like Napster.
12:25Eventually more legal means were developed to acquire digital music, and the likes of
12:29iTunes and Spotify were born.
12:3238.
12:33The Wedding of Charles and Diana
12:37On July 29th, 1981, Diana Spencer married heir apparent Charles, Prince of Wales at
12:43London's St. Paul's Cathedral, and the event could not have been more bombastic.
12:48It was made a national holiday in the UK, cost an estimated $100 million in today's
12:53money, and saw two million spectators filling the streets of London.
12:57But that is nothing compared to the 750 million that watched from home.
13:01And now the moment of drama that Prince Charles talked about, the moment of theatricality
13:06as we await the arrival of the bride and the groom.
13:11The event was broadcast live in 50 different countries, and legend has it that hundreds
13:15of millions more listened on the radio, bringing the worldwide audience to well over a billion.
13:21If that's true, then one in every four people on the planet either watched or listened to
13:26The Wedding of Charles and Diana.
13:3537.
13:36Nelson Mandela Released
13:38In 1964, South African revolutionary leader Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment.
13:44For years, he had fought against apartheid, the system of racial segregation that privileged
13:50the country's white population and disenfranchised people of color.
13:54Even from prison, he remained committed to this cause, communicating with political leaders
13:59and gaining worldwide attention.
14:15As civil unrest grew, Mandela was finally released from prison in 1990, 27 years after
14:23he was sentenced.
14:24His release was broadcast around the world.
14:35In a historic speech, he affirmed his commitment to peace, but also to the ongoing struggle
14:41against the violence of apartheid.
14:43Just four years later, he would go on to become the country's first black president.
14:4836.
14:49The Euro is Adopted
14:51The European Union was designed to allow the free exchange of people and goods among its
14:56members.
15:00This made it much easier for, say, people in Germany to live and work in France.
15:05Yet, despite being part of the same union, many of these countries still had their own
15:09currency.
15:10Enter the Euro.
15:26Officially launched in 1999, the notes and coins for the new currency were introduced
15:30into circulation in 2002.
15:35Initially, 11 different currencies were replaced, including the German Mark, the Italian Lira
15:41and the French Franc.
15:43Today, the Euro has replaced 22 different currencies within the union.
15:4835.
15:49Attack on the Dutch Royal Family
15:50It's astounding how one evil act of violence can turn such a happy occasion into one of
15:55terror.
15:56In April 2009, the city of Appeldoorn in the Netherlands held a parade during the holiday
16:01Koninginnedag or Queen's Day.
16:04Queen Beatrix and other members of the royal family were in attendance, and were sadly
16:07the targets of an attack carried out by a man in a Suzuki Swift.
16:11None of them were harmed by the vehicle, but tragically seven spectators were killed in
16:15addition to the attacker himself.
16:17The motive behind the attack remains unclear, but what is clear is just how dark a day this
16:22was not only for live TV, but human decency.
16:2634.
16:27World Health Organization Changes Tune
16:29The last few decades have seen an enormous shift in the attitudes towards both gender
16:34identity and sexual orientation.
16:36I just went to a wedding of a friend of mine who happens to be gay.
16:41Because somebody doesn't think the way I do, doesn't mean that I can't care about them
16:45or I can't love them.
16:47Wow, a gay wedding just got applause at a Republican debate.
16:52Add that to the list of things that would have been unthinkable in 2004.
16:56For many years, anyone who saw themselves as being different from societal norms was
17:01considered to be mentally ill or suffering from some other type of sickness.
17:06In fact, the World Health Organization once listed homosexuality under their International
17:11Classification of Diseases.
17:13In 1990, the 43rd World Health Assembly endorsed a decision to have homosexuality permanently
17:20removed from the list.
17:22The act of a single line removal was administrationally simple, but monumental in its effect.
17:28It told the world that such a large organization had switched its perspective on sexual orientation
17:34and that others should follow suit.
17:3733.
17:38France Nuclear Ping-Pong
17:40As far back as 1960, France had been conducting nuclear weapons experiments and testing in
17:45both the Algerian Sahara Desert as well as in French Polynesia.
17:49France carried out more than 200 nuclear tests, most of them in the South Pacific.
17:54These tests went on for several decades despite massive international protests.
17:59Eventually, the country opted to suspend their testing in 1992.
18:03Researchers, along with the French news site Disclose, used declassified military documents
18:09and testimonies to recreate the impact of a number of the tests, calculating around
18:14110,000 people in the overseas territory, including in Tahiti, were contaminated, almost
18:21the entire population.
18:23However, in 1995, France elected a new president, Jacques Chirac.
18:29He resumed nuclear testing and more experiments were conducted before the country finally
18:34put a permanent end to the practice a year later.
18:3832.
18:39John Lennon is Assassinated
18:41It's safe to say that John Lennon is one of the most influential singer-songwriters
18:45of all time.
18:46Even after leaving the Beatles in 1969, he enjoyed enormous popularity and success.
18:52He also became well-known for his activism.
18:54Is there not a more positive way of demonstrating in favor of peace than sitting in bed with
18:58free sports?
18:59What's more positive?
19:00I think it's very positive.
19:01Well, it's positive.
19:02However, on December 8th, 1980, obsessive fan Mark David Chapman fatally shot him outside
19:07the Dakota apartments in New York City.
19:10When news broke on ABC's Monday Night Football, fans were shocked and horrified.
19:15For many, the world seemed to stop turning.
19:17An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City.
19:23John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the west side of New York City, the most
19:28famous perhaps of all of the Beatles, shot twice in the back.
19:33Around the globe, fans were united in mourning for a man whose music meant so much to so
19:39many.
19:4031.
19:41Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
19:43For months, the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine's border had the world on
19:48edge.
19:49Would Russian President Vladimir Putin really give the order to invade?
19:53In 2014, Ukrainians had revolted against a pro-Moscow government, sick of corruption
19:59and abuse of power.
20:01Their success led Russia to annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
20:05In February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, furious at the country's
20:11aspiration to join NATO.
20:13I consider it necessary to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk
20:19and Lugansk People's Republics.
20:21In response, the international community hit Russia with severe economic sanctions.
20:27Around the world, everyone's eyes have been glued to their screens, watching the outgunned
20:32Ukrainians hold off the invading forces.
20:34If we don't stand up, we don't have a country to defend.
20:3730.
20:38The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
20:40Also known as the BP oil spill, this unfortunately wasn't the first industrial disaster to
20:45devastate our marine habitats, but it remains the largest on record.
20:50It began on April 20th, due to an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.
20:55And there's 30,000 of these workers every day that go on the Gulf to do this work, and
20:59they're well-trained, but, you know, and they work to try to not have these accidents, but
21:03on this day, something went wrong, and now we're, you know, we're working with BP and
21:07we're with Transocean to try to find the cause.
21:11The fallout from this disaster resulted in 205 million gallons of oil discharged into
21:16the Gulf of Mexico.
21:17And effects were still being felt years after the initial disaster.
21:21Birds are still on these islands coming in here feeding, so you can just imagine the
21:25contamination that takes place within the wildlife.
21:29In fact, reports from 2012 stated that the oil refineries from Deepwater Horizon were
21:34still leaking, despite an official statement from 2010 that claimed the well was sealed.
21:4029.
21:41The Gaza War
21:42The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing for three-quarters of a century, with
21:47the 2023 Israel-Hamas war adding another tragic and bloody chapter.
21:51There are so many families across Israel asking, where was the army?
21:55Why didn't they stop this?
21:57What do you tell those families?
21:58I tell them it's the responsibility of the army.
22:01It's the responsibility of the army for the intelligence.
22:06It's our responsibility to guard the people of Israel.
22:09We failed on Saturday.
22:11This is our responsibility.
22:13But now we're fighting.
22:14This latest conflict began when the Palestinian political and militant group Hamas launched
22:19a surprise attack on the 7th of October 2023, killing around 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.
22:26They also took 250 Israelis hostage, demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners.
22:32This is a massive terrorist attack that is gunning down Israeli civilians in their towns,
22:38in their homes, and as we've seen so graphically, literally dragging people across the border
22:43with Gaza.
22:44In retaliation, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza over six days and launched a ground
22:50invasion.
22:51Over 47,000 Palestinians have been reported as killed, half of them women and children.
22:56There have been widespread global protests, and Gaza has collapsed into a humanitarian
23:01crisis.
23:0228.
23:03The Death of Osama Bin Laden
23:05In the wake of the September 11th attacks in 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush announced
23:10the beginning of a war on terror.
23:13The first stage of this war was the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to hunt down Osama Bin Laden
23:18and his terrorist group, Al-Qaeda.
23:20In this conflict, America faces an enemy who has no regard for conventions of war or
23:26rules of morality.
23:28This manhunt continued for almost a decade as Bin Laden evaded capture.
23:33However, in 2011, the CIA tracked him down to a compound in Pakistan.
23:38In a helicopter raid codenamed Operation Neptune Spear on May 2nd, Bin Laden was killed.
23:44After a firefight, they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body.
23:49For those who vividly recalled the events of 9-11, President Obama's announcement that
23:54the Al-Qaeda leader was dead was a landmark event.
23:5827.
23:59The Waco Siege
24:03On February 28th, 1993, federal agents and Texan law enforcers stormed Mount Carmel Center
24:14in Axtell, Texas.
24:15This was a compound belonging to a religious cult called the Branch Davidians.
24:19They were hoping to serve warrants stemming from the illegal stockpiling of weapons, but
24:23the raid instigated a deadly shootout.
24:26This in turn resulted in the Waco Siege, which infamously culminated 51 days later when the
24:30compound burned to the ground.
24:32This fire was captured on live television, most notably by CNN, which broadcast some
24:37of the more famous visuals from that fateful day.
24:39It is startling footage depicting large explosions, a raging inferno, and thick black smoke towering
24:45into the air.
24:4676 Branch Davidians, including leader David Koresh, died in the fire, igniting a ferocious
25:00controversy that continues to this day.
25:0226.
25:03The San Diego Tank Rampage
25:05On May 17th, 1995, an ex-Army soldier named Sean Nelson took possession of an M60 tank
25:11from the California Army National Guard and drove it through the streets of San Diego.
25:16The incident lasted nearly half an hour, with Nelson destroying objects like utility
25:20poles, bus benches, and citizen vehicles.
25:27Luckily no one was injured, and Nelson's proved to be the only fatality when he was shot by
25:32responding police officers.
25:41The unique chase was captured by news cameras and televised, with viewers likely glued to
25:45the screen to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.
25:4925.
25:50Hurricane Andrew
25:51For many years, Hurricane Andrew held some rather unfortunate records.
25:55At the time, it was the hurricane that caused the most financial loss in American history,
25:59causing $27 billion in property damage.
26:10It was also the first tropical cyclone in 23 years to make landfall as a Category 5,
26:15and it would be the last for another 26 years.
26:18Forming on August 16th, 1992 and lasting nearly two weeks, Hurricane Andrew was extensively
26:23covered in the media, with many channels capturing the unbelievable and unprecedented destruction
26:29as it occurred.
26:35It all makes for very sobering footage, as water floods streets and human-made structures
26:40get battered, ripped away, and destroyed by the forces of nature.
26:5124.
26:53The Manila Hostage Crisis
26:59Similarly to Vester Lee Flanagan, Rolando Mendoza was someone who took to horrendous
27:03tactics to try and rectify what he believed to be mistreatment.
27:07Mendoza was a former officer for the Philippine National Police who had been formally let
27:11go in 2009 due to charges of extortion.
27:25In 2010, Mendoza held an entire tour bus hostage in Manila, demanding to be reinstated.
27:31After an intense 10-hour standoff, negotiations broke down dramatically, resulting in gunfire.
27:37Mendoza took the lives of eight hostages before a SWAT team was able to deliver a fatal shot
27:41of their own.
27:42With news outlets covering the incident from start to finish, this was one horrifying event
27:47the world experienced in real-time.
27:4923.
27:58Ayrton Senna Crashes
27:59A three-time Formula One champion, Ayrton Senna was participating in the 1994 San Marino
28:05Grand Prix when he tragically lost his life.
28:08No one had died at a Formula One race in 12 years, with the last incident occurring at
28:12the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix.
28:15During the live race, Senna left the track and struck a concrete barrier at 131 mph.
28:28It was immediately obvious that something was wrong, as Senna wasn't moving in the
28:32car.
28:33An overhead helicopter captured the immediate aftermath, with medical personnel pulling
28:37Senna from the car and giving him an emergency tracheotomy.
28:40He was rushed to the hospital but died later that night, having suffered severe head trauma.
28:4622.
28:47The Northridge Earthquake
28:48On January 17, 1994, the San Fernando Valley was struck by an earthquake registering at
28:53around 6.7 in magnitude.
29:09It resulted in more than $20 billion in damage and saw roughly 90,000 buildings of various
29:15types either destroyed outright or severely battered.
29:19Even an unexpected outbreak of the Valley Fever hit the area as a result of the quake.
29:28Oddly enough, exactly one year later, another earthquake hit on the same day but across
29:33the globe in Kobe, Japan.
29:36Registering at a 6.9 magnitude, the quake damaged upwards of 400,000 buildings.
29:4321.
29:44Ireland Ends Ban on Divorce
29:58In a world where the vast majority of cultures subscribe to the idea of marriage, it's
30:02not uncommon to hear that they don't all work out.
30:06For better or worse, divorce is all too common.
30:09That is, unless you were living in Ireland prior to June of 1996.
30:15Before then, divorce in Ireland was actually illegal.
30:19Couples could legally separate but an actual divorce went against the Constitution of Ireland,
30:24which was adopted in 1937.
30:26A referendum was held in November of 1995 and won by a nail-biting margin of 50.3 over
30:3449.7% of votes.
30:3820.
30:40Live Aid Concert
30:54The Live Aid Concert, held on July 13, 1985, was a groundbreaking global music event designed
31:00to raise funds for the relief of famine-stricken Ethiopians.
31:10This dual-venue concert was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy
31:15Stadium in Philadelphia, featuring a star-studded lineup including Queen, U2, Led Zeppelin,
31:21Madonna and many others.
31:23Hosted live to an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion people across 150 countries,
31:29the event raised over $125 million for famine relief.
31:42The concerts are particularly remembered for their iconic performances and the remarkable
31:46live broadcast technology that connected audiences around the world, making it one of the largest
31:51scale television broadcasts of all time.
31:5819.
32:02The Kopiapó Mining Rescue
32:09Now here's a disaster story with an uplifting example of human resilience and teamwork.
32:14In August 2010, a cave-in occurred at a copper and gold mine in northern Chile, trapping
32:1933 workers roughly 2,300 feet below the surface.
32:34Sixty-nine days passed, but through the combined efforts of the Chilean government and various
32:39organizations from around the world, all 33 men were winched up safely one at a time,
32:44almost entirely unharmed.
32:46This being a major story for months, millions of people watched as the tireless efforts
32:50of those involved finally came to fruition.
32:52Hollywood wishes it could write endings this good.
32:5818.
33:01The Hubble Space Telescope Launch
33:03Despite being built in the 1970s, the Hubble Space Telescope didn't launch until 1990.
33:09The delay was attributed to multiple factors, including fiscal constraints, technical difficulties
33:14and the catastrophic Challenger disaster of 1986.
33:18But with much fanfare and news coverage, the telescope was officially launched on April
33:2224, 1990 via the Space Shuttle Discovery.
33:31The mission, titled STS-31, lasted five days and drew much public attention.
33:37It was also captured by various IMAX cameras, the footage of which appeared in the movie
33:41Destiny in Space.
33:49The successful mission helped re-establish faith in the Space Shuttle program, and the
33:53telescope has gone on to make some of the most important astronomical discoveries of
33:57our time.
33:5817.
33:59The Boston Marathon
34:03The Boston Marathon is an annual event that takes place in Massachusetts, often held on
34:08Patriot's Day.
34:09It holds the distinction of being the world's oldest annual marathon, and as such, is broadcast
34:13live on television each year.
34:15Unfortunately, the 2013 marathon was forever marred by an act of terror in which two brothers
34:20planted bombs near the race's finish line.
34:34Hundreds of people who attended the once celebratory event were injured, with three critically
34:39New stations who had been broadcasting the event quickly switched tones to cover the
34:43then-ongoing investigation.
34:45The highly-publicized attack infamously led to a number of internet users playing detective
34:50and circulating photos of people they had falsely identified as the perpetrators.
35:0116.
35:02The Iran Hostage Crisis
35:04In 1953, British and American intelligence agencies orchestrated a coup against democratically
35:09elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had nationalized Iran's oil industry.
35:15With U.S. support, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became Iran's true ruler.
35:28Fast forward to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the Shah, seen as a Western puppet,
35:33was overthrown, replaced with the theocratic government of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
35:38In the middle of this revolution, militarized college students took 52 Americans hostage
35:43in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
35:45For over a year, President Jimmy Carter sought to negotiate their return, but only after
35:50444 days were they released, after a pledge from the U.S. not to intervene in Iranian
35:56affairs.
35:57There was a long and harrowing ordeal for the hostages, their families, and indeed the
36:01entire nation.
36:02And it was an ordeal that plagued the presidency of Jimmy Carter, an ordeal whose final resolution
36:07eluded his presidency by less than an hour.
36:1115.
36:12The Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami
36:14You didn't need to be in eastern Japan to feel the shockwaves of this disaster.
36:18On March 11, 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake began roughly 45 miles off the Japanese coast,
36:25causing a tsunami with a wave upwards of 130 feet that absolutely devastated the mainland.
36:30For those of you who are just tuning in and living anywhere close to the coastal areas
36:36of Russia, Marcus Island, Northern Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, and Taiwan, please do not
36:44go near the waters, move to higher ground as soon as possible.
36:50As if that wasn't bad enough, the tsunami in turn caused the meltdowns of three nuclear
36:54reactors in Fukushima, prompting even further evacuations.
36:58All things considered, over 19,000 people lost their lives in what was easily one of
37:03the most appalling chain of disasters in recorded history.
37:0614.
37:07The November 2015 Paris Attacks
37:17In January 2015, France was left reeling from an Islamic terrorist attack on satirical magazine
37:23Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 staff were killed.
37:26The attack on Charlie Hebdo last week was al-Qaeda's most high-profile operation in
37:32years, and today they bragged about it.
37:35In a video, al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed it targeted the magazine for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
37:42Several other smaller attacks occurred throughout the year.
37:44On November 13, these culminated in by far the deadliest.
37:49That night, in a series of coordinated attacks, terrorists detonated explosive vests and opened
37:54fire in streets and public venues in Paris.
38:02Three gunmen stormed a concert at the Bataclan Theatre, killing 90 people.
38:06In all, 130 lives were taken.
38:09The attacks sent shockwaves not only through France, but also reverberated around the world.
38:1513.
38:16The Oklahoma City Bombing
38:18This domestic terrorist attack shocked the nation.
38:21On April 19, 1995, anti-government white supremacists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols detonated
38:27a truck full of explosives in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma
38:32City.
38:33The explosion killed 168 people and injured 680 others.
38:55The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was left in ruins, and the force of the blast
38:59damaged cars and buildings over a dozen blocks away.
39:02McVeigh and Nichols had sought to spark a revolution.
39:18To this day, it is the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in United States history.
39:2412.
39:25The 2021 United States Capitol Attack
39:28On January 6, 2021, scenes of carnage in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., shocked Americans
39:36watching the riot unfold on TV.
39:38At a rally before the attack, outgoing President Donald Trump told supporters the election
39:46had been stolen and urged them to march to the Capitol building.
39:50Debunked by courts, state audits, and federal agencies, this claim was part of a campaign
39:56to overturn the election results and reinstall Trump as president.
40:07Within hours, 2,000 angry Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building, assaulting
40:12police and searching for lawmakers gathered to formalize Joe Biden's victory.
40:17Among them were members of far-right militias and neo-fascist groups, some of them armed.
40:23The insurrection failed, with lawmakers racing to safety before the mob reached them.
40:2911.
40:30The Los Angeles Riots
40:31Years of racial tensions and police brutality finally exploded, literally on the evening
40:36of April 29, 1992.
40:39It began when the four officers charged with the beating of Rodney King were acquitted,
40:43sparking civil unrest in South Central Los Angeles.
40:46The violence and outrage spread from there and covered much of the greater L.A. area,
40:51resulting in 63 deaths, over 2,000 injuries, and $1 billion in property damage.
40:59The immense looting and destruction of property were extensively covered by the media over
41:03the next week.
41:11Some of the riot's most famous events, including the attack on truck driver Reginald Denny,
41:15were broadcast on live TV, despite the horrific violence.
41:1910.
41:20The COVID-19 Pandemic
41:22On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that the COVID-19 outbreak had become
41:28a pandemic.
41:37At the time, few of us fully understood what it would mean for our lives in the years to
41:42come.
41:43Nonetheless, the news had people worldwide glued to their screens or running to stock
41:48up on groceries, especially toilet paper.
42:01Through lockdowns, the world watched as the virus continued to dominate headlines, and
42:06the death toll skyrocketed from the hundreds into the thousands and then millions.
42:11The WHO's announcement was the beginning of a long, rocky road for all of us.
42:189.
42:24The Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
42:26Although she was no longer Her Royal Highness in 1997, having lost her title after her divorce
42:32from Prince Charles, Diana remained a popular figure for the Commonwealth and beyond.
42:45Her sudden death in a car accident as she fled paparazzi occurred in the early hours
42:50of August 31st, while the British public were still asleep.
42:54Diana's driver, who had been intoxicated at the time, and Egyptian producer Dodi Fayed,
43:00also died in the crash.
43:01When people in the UK woke and learned the news, the country was left shocked and in
43:07mourning.
43:08The death of the People's Princess was felt around the world.
43:198.
43:22The Tiananmen Square Protests and Massacre
43:24In China, references to this event, also known as the June 4th incident, are heavily censored.
43:30In the spring of 1989, student-led demonstrations were held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, calling
43:36for democracy and greater civil liberties.
43:51The protests spread to hundreds of cities, with workers joining them, angry over inflation,
43:57corruption and the erosion of welfare.
43:59Declaring martial law, the government sent soldiers and tanks into the square.
44:03The death toll is disputed, ranging from hundreds to thousands.
44:19Famously at least outside of China, the photo of an unknown man facing off against a column
44:24of tanks has become an enduring symbol of the event.
44:27Today, public displays of mourning for the victims are banned, although commemorations
44:32still sometimes reportedly occur in secret.
44:357.
44:36The O.J. Simpson Murder Trial Verdict
44:38It was the trial of the century, and the verdict left the public reeling.
44:51After Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were stabbed to death in June
44:551994, Brown's ex-husband, former footballer and actor O.J. Simpson, became the prime suspect.
45:03Before her death, Brown had said that Simpson had abused and threatened to kill her.
45:07Every aspect of the case was highly publicized, from the car chase that saw him arrested to
45:12the lengthy trial.
45:13The coverage hooked viewers, and everyone had an opinion.
45:17On October 3, 1995, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
45:29For some, it was a vindication.
45:31To others, a travesty of justice, in which a celebrity had gotten away with murder.
45:376.
45:38The Chernobyl Disaster
45:39At first, the details of this disaster were shrouded in secrecy.
45:47But words soon got out.
45:50During a safety test on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Pripyat
45:56in Soviet Ukraine went into meltdown, the fault of design flaws and negligent operators.
46:06The subsequent explosion threw radioactive particles into the atmosphere.
46:10It was Sweden who alerted the world two days later, when radiation hundreds of miles away
46:15set off alarms.
46:25As the truth was gradually revealed, the scale of the disaster became evident.
46:30The meltdown led directly to the deaths of 31 people, and to many more from radiation-induced
46:36cancer in the years afterwards.
46:395.
46:40The Fall of Saigon
46:41Seeing photos of the fall of Saigon, you might be reminded of the more recent 2021 Kabul
46:47airlift in Afghanistan.
46:49Both involved scenes of panic and powerful images of last-minute evacuation.
47:03On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam,
47:09marking the end of the deadly and divisive Vietnam War.
47:12The iconic photo of a helicopter evacuation from the roof of the U.S. Embassy symbolized
47:17the desperate and dramatic nature of the fall.
47:35In the aftermath, Vietnam was reunified under communist rule, and the U.S. began to significantly
47:41rethink its foreign policies.
47:434.
47:44The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
47:46There were a lot of eyes on Cape Canaveral, Florida when Challenger finally launched on
47:51January 28, 1986.
47:54Due to technical issues and bad weather, the flight had been delayed multiple times.
48:04On launch day, CNN broadcast live nationwide coverage.
48:09NASA had organized for children to watch from schools to promote their Teacher in Space
48:13project, which had added teacher-turned-astronaut Krista McAuliffe to the crew.
48:18But viewers' hopes turned to horror as the shuttle disintegrated during its ascent, claiming
48:24the lives of all seven crew members.
48:31The Challenger's final flight had lasted only 73 seconds.
48:363.
48:37Hurricane Katrina
48:38This Category 5 hurricane was devastating not only due to its intensity, but also a
48:43failure of flood control systems and slow government response.
48:46On August 29, 2005, the hurricane made landfall in Louisiana.
49:08The storm surge breached New Orleans' levees and flooded the city.
49:12Tens of thousands of residents had not evacuated.
49:15It didn't matter if you were from there.
49:17TV and radio audiences could feel the distress and panic in the air.
49:21Critics argued that race and class were factors in the slow local and federal response.
49:36The hurricane left an estimated 1,392 dead in its wake, making it one of the deadliest
49:42in U.S. history.
49:442.
49:45The Fall of the Berlin Wall
49:46After World War II, the Allies split Germany into East and West.
49:51The Soviet Union controlled the East, while the U.S., U.K., and France controlled the
49:56West.
49:57Eventually, East and West became separate republics, but the flight of East Germans
50:01to the more affluent West prompted the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
50:06Dividing friends and families, the wall became a symbol of the Iron Curtain separating Western
50:11Europe and the Soviet bloc.
50:18In the 80s, however, massive protests and waves of refugees leaving East Germany led
50:24the government to relax rules for immigration.
50:26On the evening of November 9, 1989, East Germans gathered at the wall.
50:40Rather than open fire, border guards stood down, and the world watched as Germany became
50:45one again.
50:46Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
50:50about our latest videos.
50:52You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
50:56If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
51:04Just about everyone who's old enough to remember it can tell you where they were when they
51:08heard about the September 11th attacks in 2001.
51:18For New York, it was morning when two hijacked passenger jets crashed into, and ultimately
51:23demolished the Twin Towers as part of a coordinated attack.
51:28Another plane hit the Pentagon.
51:30After news of a fourth crash came to light that day, it became apparent that the passengers
51:34of United Airlines Flight 93 took back their flight and downed the weaponized aircraft
51:39before it reached Washington, D.C.
51:45The event claimed close to 3,000 lives, and the world was forever changed.
51:53Are you old enough to remember when all of these events happened?
51:56How did they make you feel?
51:57Let us know down in the comments.
51:59Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
52:03to be notified about our latest videos.