A new survey has revealed which moment of live television has been most memorable — though not necessarily in a positive way — on viewers over the past century. (I presume from the source that only Americans were polled, though this is not at all clear.) From Associated Press via The Washington Post:
The most impactful television events of the last 50 years, as measured in a survey conducted by Nielsen and Sony Electronics. The rankings are based on a questionnaire of consumers about events they had watched, if they remember where they were and if they discussed the events with others.
1. Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (2001).
2. Hurricane Katrina (2005).
3. The O.J. Simpson verdict (1995).
4. The Challenger space shuttle explodes (1986).
5. Death of Osama bin Laden (2011).
6. The O.J. Simpson White Bronco chase (1994).
7. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami (2011).
8. Columbine school shooting (1999).
9. BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico (2010).
10. Princess Diana’s funeral (1997).
Click over for numbers 11 through 20 on the list.
So:
What moment of television during your lifetime has been the most dramatic, or had the most impact on you?
Mine is definitely 9/11, followed closely by the Challenger explosion. Both of those events had me riveted to the television for days and made me feel personally impacted — I was personally impacted in the case of 9/11, since it happened on my doorstep, and I have for a long time felt so invested in the U.S. space program that Challenger felt like a personal blow to me.
You?
(If you have a suggestion for a QOTD, feel free to email me. Responses to this QOTD sent by email will be ignored; please post your responses here.)
