GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!! (USA women vs. Brazil, 2011 WWC)
Certainly the most awesome moment I’ve ever seen while watching a live sporting event.
I didn’t hear about 9/11 until after both towers had already fallen, but I do remember the first time the footage of the plane hitting the second tower, shot from right below looking upwards, was shown. Just unbelievable that that was actual real life, not some Jerry Bruckheimer special effect.
I actually just learned that I didn’t see it live… I thought the news cast was a live feed, and never thought to check it out…
All the big one have been mentioned, so…
The “Carousel” scene in Mad Men. I won’t link to it because you really have to see the whole show up to that point to get the full impact.
Man, that is some of the best television ever made.
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A few more…
SNL memories and John Belushi – Joe Cocker was performing as the musical guest, and Belushi came out dressed like him, and did his impression of him side-by-side as a duet. Incredibly funny.
This reminds me of just about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, only I think it was on Johnny Carson’s show instead of SNL: Julio Ignasias was on and his and Willie Nelson’s song “To All the Girls We’ve Loved Before” was popular, so Julio was going to sing it. As soon as he started, Carson, dressed as Willie N with pigtails & cowboy hat, appeared beside him, startling Julio (which was half the fun). Ahhh – that duet was priceless!
2 things, both the same subject…August 1979…
Watching WNBC Live at Five and hearing Jack Cafferty announce that Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash.
Then, a few days later, on WPIX, watching Bobby Murcer hit a 3 run home run and then 2 singles against the Baltimore Orioles to re-claim first place for the AL East…the same day he delivered a eulogy for Munson, who was his best friend…
I remember at the age of 15 seeing a live murder on TV that haunted me a for a long time.
June of 1979, a reporter from ABC named Bill Stewart, was shot in the head by a soldier in Nicaragua. I remember the soldier approached him and Stewart dropped to his knees in surrender and tried to talk to him. Then the soldier made him lay down on his stomach and then shoots him in the head. The person filming from several feet obviously panics, becuase the footage gets jostled then ends.
I know there might be footage of this on the web. Maybe someone will find it. I’d like to see it to see if I remembered it accurately.
Here’s an interesting article about the decision to broadcast Dwyer’s suicide. Note that the first broadcast was less than an hour after he was pronounced dead.
For some reason I can’t get to sleep tonight. This may not be all of it:
http://www.evilchili.com/videos/14063/ABC_Reporter_Gets_Executed_in_Nicaragua
(It probably could not have been ‘live’ as in broadcast live, but I’d guess it was originally shown on TV unedited.)
A lighthearted one…
My sister and I were 9 or 10 years old and really liked the show “Mr. Belvedere”. One night we were watching a cliffhanger episode in which Mr. Belvedere (an English butler who worked for a suburban American family, for those who don’t know the show) is tempted to move back to England or work for another family or something like that. Sis and I thought ourselves savvy little TV consumers by that age, so we cracked wise the whole time, knowing that Mr. B - in good sitcom fashion - would have a last minute change of heart, return to the family he worked for, and all problems would be wrapped up until next week.
Nope. Unbeknownst to us, the show had been canceled and that was the last episode. Mr. Belvedere actually left (Wikipedia says he moved to Africa). 9-year-old me was stunned.
The Mall crowded on both sides, a coffin sitting on a gun carriage being carried along by horses, then two bewildered young boys came from the side with their father to walk slowly behind it.
Not so much a tipping point as freefall.
One that I don’t think has been mentioned yet:
Men’s cross-country relay, 2002 Winter Games. Norway and Italy have been fighting for this title for years now. Both have their most powerful skiers on the last leg: Thomas Alsgaard for Norway, Christian Zorzi for Italy.
They race their leg together, well out in front of anyone else. Alsgaard is in front the whole time. At the top of the final hill, approaching the stadium, he slows down to let Zorzi pass. He figures Zorzi has been benefitting from his drag for 9 1/2 km, Zorzi can return the favor now. But Zorzi also slows down. The two move so slowly they’re almost standing still, each motioning for the other to get going. Finally Alsgaard, visibly annoyed, heads off in front. Zorzi got what he wanted…
…and learns that there is no benefit to making Thomas Alsgaard angry. He’s pipped at the finish line and Italy has to go home with the silver.
The eve of Clintons inauguration in 1993, Fleetwood Mac performing “Don’t Stop”. I was working the evening shift at Tower Records and we set all the televisions to watch it. All commerce stopped for the song, everyone cheered, people were hugging, and everyone was so happy. For me, I was 23 and Reagan was in the White House from the time I was ten, followed by Bush 1.0. It seemed like an exciting new era full of possibilities, and that moment crystallized into something magical. I’m not sure I will ever experience anything so spontaneous and genuine like that again.
Of course the whole 2008 election makes it pale in comparison, I’m still waiting for a made-for-TV movie based on it. THAT was exciting, but much longer than a moment.
The other one is the first time I ever saw Six Feet Under. I was incredibly lucky to switch on the TV and heard that intriguing, slightly dissonant opening chord. It made me sit up and piqued my interest. It turned out to be episode 1 of season 1. After that horrific, brutal, mercilessly realistic car crash about a minute in, I was completely riveted and hooked, doomed to ride that bumpy emotional roller coaster of five seasons.
But this is supposed to be about the moment. So the first time I heard the opening chord of the theme to SFU.
Two moments are allowed, right? 
September 11th is my one “big event,” since I tended to be in school, not born yet, or just plain not watching TV when these sorts of things happened. I was still in school on 9/11, but we ended up watching it anyway.
I remember the episode of Home Improvement where Randy is ill–as in, might-be-cancer ill–and Jill laments to Wilson that Randy had always been the sickest kid, so of course she’s terrified; after this there’s a montage showing Randy growing up. I remember that being the sole serious episode. I can’t remember what Randy ended up being diagnosed with (it was something where he had to take a pill for the rest of his life), but it wasn’t just a false alarm or the flu, so the ending was sort of bittersweet in that respect.
The last episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray had an operation and (for a short time) wasn’t waking up. Later, Debra was looking at him funny, and she said (with her voice breaking a little) she was thinking about how she needed to go to the bank, the dry cleaners, she needed to buy chicken, and green beans…in other words, live ordinary life, and assume she would have a husband to go through ordinary life with…and anyway, I started crying like a fool, because I could identify with her…
The episode of Everybody Loves Raymond when a car backs into their house…and the passenger’s door opens and Frank gets out…and then the driver’s door opens and out pops Marie.
Robert responds to the police call, asks in a very scared tone “What happened? Is everybody all right?” Ray says “Yeah. Ma just backed the car into our house.”
Robert looks blank for a moment and then just bursts into laughter.
Thanks… interesting read.
I suppose i was blessed or cursed in my youth, as I also recall watching the assassination of Anwar Sadat
News coverage of the Jonestown Massacre in 1978…remember watching that on the news at 5 pm. This, of course, was before the days of “This footage may be too graphic for children. Viewer discretion is advised.”
I was 8 years old and crying for the children who were murdered because their parents were brainwashed by a madman.
. . . followed by Marie learning what happened, running across the street, and jumping into bed with Raymond, with much hugging and kissing. Then Debra says something like “I knew this would happen some day.”
I laughed so hard, I cried.
i wasn’t born yet but my Mom can remember the 84 Olympics…she had the TV kept to the ABC station here(WLOS) pretty much until the Games ended
I was a preteen, deeply interested in history. Family was away and I was the only person home. Late at night. Turned on the TV even though I wasn’t much of a TV watcher. This was back in the 3-network days; pickings were ridiculously sparse compared to today.
A movie was starting. I’d missed the title, but I could see it was a medieval setting. Oh good, something historical or maybe a costume drama. Then appearing over the pathway in large letters:
ENGLAND 932 A.D.
The clip-clop of horses’ hooves sounded as a mailed man slowly rode into view over the crest of a hill.
And then he came the rest of the way into view, prancing along on foot, no horse. Followed by a peasant clip-clopping two coconuts together.
I had never heard of Monty Python. I was about to get an education.