Don’t Change the Channel on This Quiz on Historic TV Moments

On October 17, 1986, the strongest earthquake to hit the Bay Area in 80 years rocked San Francisco, causing $6 billion in damage and interrupting the third game of the World Series between the Giants and Athletics. Because the news broke during such a major TV event, word of the quake traveled rapidly across the country. The series resumed 10 days later and became known as “The Earthquake Series.”

Singer Bob Geldof organized this 16-hour global concert to raise funds for Ethiopia. It took place at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and Wembley Stadium in London on July 13, 1985. The list of participating artists read like an all-star roster of ’80s music: Performers included Queen, Madonna, Sting, David Bowie, and Duran Duran, to name a few. Phil Collins performed at both concerts, playing a set at Wembley and then flying via Concorde jet to Philadelphia.

On October 14, 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell down a well in her aunt’s backyard in Midland, Texas. For the next 58 hours, the subsequent rescue operation was the focal point of nonstop news coverage across the country. Rescue workers were able to drill a shaft parallel to where “Baby Jessica” was stuck 22 feet below ground, pulling her to a safe reunion with her family.

On October 5, 1947, President Harry S. Truman stepped before a camera and delivered the first televised presidential speech, urging Americans to minimize grain consumption to help Europe. At the time of the address, the television set was a relatively new invention — most Americans were still receiving news by radio. But less than two decades later, most U.S. households owned at least one TV.

In 1956, Elvis was accused of giving an obscene performance because he moved his hips suggestively during a performance on “The Milton Berle Show.” Though Elvis toned down his subsequent appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Sullivan still received thousands of complaints. During Elvis’ January 7, 1957, appearance on the variety show, camera operators were told to shoot the musician from the waist up.

By the winter of 1989, public opinion in Europe had turned against communism. After protests, the East German Politburo resigned on November 8, and the next day, it was announced that citizens could travel freely between communist East Germany and democratic West Germany. NBC broadcast exclusive footage of jubilant Germans gathering at the wall to celebrate and start the process of tearing it down.

On September 26, 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy went up against Republican Richard Nixon in the first-ever televised presidential debate. Kennedy’s charismatic presence on camera stood in stark contrast to his opponent’s appearance, as Nixon refused to wear makeup and was visibly sweaty. Though Nixon fared better in future debates, this moment in TV history turned the early tides in favor of Kennedy, who went on to win the presidency.

“M*A*S*H” was a popular sitcom that ran for 11 seasons on CBS until its finale in 1983. The series followed Army surgeon “Hawkeye” (Alan Alda) and his fellow medics as they cared for the wounded during the Korean War. The final episode of the show in 1983 was watched by nearly 106 million people, a record that was not surpassed until 2010 by Super Bowl XLIV.

On November 22, 1962, the CBS newsroom received a wire that someone had shot and killed President John F. Kennedy. In a move that would help define the concept of breaking news on television, the network interrupted the daytime soap “As the World Turns” to share the news. Around 2:00 p.m., with a shaking voice and wet eyes, anchor Walter Cronkite delivered the news of the President’s passing to CBS’ TV audience.

In the early ’90s, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton was a rising political star but still relatively unknown nationally. During a June appearance on Arsenio Hall’s late-night talk show, Clinton sat in with the band and busted out an impromptu version of “Heartbreak Hotel” on the saxophone. The move was mocked by some in the media, but it helped the presidential candidate stand out from his electoral opponents.

In the early 1960s, the Beatles’ clean-cut good looks and catchy pop tunes made them major stars in the U.K. In January 1964, the band’s music made its way across the pond with the U.S. release of “Meet the Beatles.” Soon, Beatlemania swept over the country, and on February 7, the band was greeted by 4,000 fans when they landed at JFK Airport in New York. Two days later, an estimated 73 million people tuned in to watch the band’s performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Under pressure from investigations of the 1972 Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon initially resisted calls for him to resign. However, on July 30, 1974, under coercion from the Supreme Court, the Watergate tapes were released, proving Nixon and his staff had tried to block the investigation. The President resigned shortly after on a live news broadcast.

As astronaut Neil Armstrong touched the moon's surface on July 20, 1969, he uttered the now-famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The event garnered multiple days of coverage on major TV networks worldwide — an estimated 500 million people tuned in, making it one of the most-viewed television events in history.

On July 29, 1981, Diana Spencer became the Princess of Wales when she married Prince Charles (now King Charles III) in a massive ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. More than 700 million people around the world tuned in to the historic event.