15 TV Tragedies That Happened LIVE in the 80s

Tragedies That Happened LIVE in the 80s

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today well be discussing incidents of live, on-air coverage of tragic or catastrophic events.

Pope John Paul II Assassination Attempt

Its perhaps difficult for some younger viewers, in this age of instantaneous information, to understand how some news stories used to impact their shared viewership in real time. The news of an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Turkeys Mehmet Ali Aca unfolded on the nightly news, a shocking development that not only affected catholics, but individuals around the world. The images of assassins bullets hitting the Pontiff were troubling, as was the history of Ali Aca, a hitman who had already murdered a journalist, Abdi pekçi, in 1979. Pope John Paul II, in the meantime, forgave Ali Aca for his crimes, with the latter serving a combined twenty-nine years before being released in 2010.

1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake

Local and national news reporters have a lot on their collective plates when it comes to distributing all of the information they can about natural disasters like the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake. This Los Angeles-area quake received extensive coverage via local NBC affiliates in the area, documenting all of the damage and injuries, while also reporting rescue and recovery efforts. The 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake ended up causing between 213358 million dollars in damage and two-hundred reported injuries, including three deaths. An intense quake that rocked Los Angeles area businesses, homes and infrastructure.

Murdock Train Explosion

It was a perfect storm of sorts, with the most imperfect resulting outcome. A railroad train that derailed in the small, unincorporated town of Murdock, Illinois. Live video was captured of this incident, when the train from Baltimore and Ohio caught fire after the afternoon derailment. This fire became exacerbated by petroleum gas that was filling up within the trains tanks. This resulted in a massive expanding vapor explosion of boiling liquid; blasts so powerful that train cars were actually expelled from the ground into the nearby wooded areas. Local and international news outlets alike shared video from this disaster to audiences around the country.

The Death of Tommy Cooper

Known for his massive frame and red fez, Tommy Cooper was a brilliant entertainer who fused magic with comedy, creating an act that was famous on British TV. Unfortunately, he was also a very unhealthy man, being a heavy smoker and drinker. On April 15, 1984, Cooper performed in front of twelve million viewers on a variety show called Live from Her Majestys. Partway through his act, Cooper became unresponsive and collapsed. As he was known for his kooky brand of humor, the audience thought this was all part of the act and laughed, not knowing that he had suffered a fatal heart attack. Cooper was rushed to the hospital but was announced dead on arrival.

Bhopal Disaster

Documentaries and news stories alike have documented the tragic Bhopal Disaster of 1984. Its still known today as the largest industrial disaster to ever afflict the world, having resulted in the deaths of over three thousand people. The numbers are actually even more complicated than that, since some sources claim that the actual number of claimed fatalities to number more than sixteen thousand. Furthermore, over a half million injuries were also attributed to the methyl isocyanate gas leak that emerged from a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt

It was one of those moments where the world stopped, and every American was acutely aware of where they were when they saw the images of former President Ronald Reagan being shot by John Hinckley, Jr. Traumatic, collective American memories of John F. Kennedy likely came flooding back to those of a certain age, while home audiences held their breath and waited for news. Reagan did ultimately survive the attack, although Hinckley Jr.s actions were not without consequence. White House Press Secretary James Brady suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of the gunshots. He eventually passed away in 2014 after successfully lobbying for stricter gun control.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake

The eyes of many American sports fans were transfixed upon Game 3 of the 1989 World Series matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. It was during T.V. coverage of this game where news of that years Lorna Prieta earthquake began interrupting World Series coverage. The damage associated with the Loma Prieta earthquake has been estimated at between 14.215.2 billion dollars, when adjusted for inflation. Tsunamis and various landslides also occurred in the aftermath of this 6.9 magnitude quake, while the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, California collapsed as a result of the impact. Finally, sixty-three deaths and over three-thousand injuries were also attributed to this record-setting natural disaster.

R. Budd Dwyers Demise

On January 20, 1981, R. Budd Dwyer became the 70th Treasurer of Pennsylvania, and he would remain as such for the next six years. Unfortunately, Dwyer was embroiled in a scandal when it was found that he accepted a bribe from Computer Technology Associates to award them a contract regarding a state tax issue. He was found guilty, and his sentencing was scheduled for January 23, 1987. He could have faced around fifty years in prison. But the day before his sentence was to be handed down, Dwyer held a news conference and subsequently shot himself with a revolver. He died instantly, with one news camera capturing the event and broadcasting it on live television.

The Falklands War

The Vietnam War has often been labeled as the first television war, thanks to nightly broadcasts and updates from news outlets. And, although its true that activities during this war werent broadcast in real time in a way we might expect today, coverage was broadcast in a comparatively timely manner. The relative brevity of this ten week war also meant that what was being aired in the United Kingdom and around the world was relevant to the national conversation. This was a controversial war with a lot of moving parts that affected both the U.K. and Argentina in ways that are still being discussed today.

The Hillsborough Disaster

Live sporting events can certainly end in disaster - and broadcast death to millions of viewers. On April 15, 1989, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were playing each other in the FA Cup semi-final. Liverpool fans were only given one access point into the stadium, resulting in a severe bottleneck. The oppressive overcrowding eventually led to a fatal crush, as thousands of spectators were trapped in the fenced-in standing pen. Over 90 died and nearly 800 were injured. Three more victims passed throughout the years from their injuries, bringing the death toll to 97. The tragedy was initially blamed on hooliganism, but later inquiries found that the design of the stadium and the negligence of the police were responsible.

Mount St. Helen Erupts

The major eruption of an active volcano is something that all of us hope we never have to experience in our lifetimes. Yet, the 1980s eruption of Mount St. Helens was a televised natural disaster that unfolded in real time in living rooms around the world. Over three-and-a-half billion dollars in damage was attributed to the blast, when adjusted for inflation. An additional fifty-seven deaths were also reported, while ash deposits from the Mount St. Helens blast were expelled into eleven U.S. states, as well as five provinces in Canada. Meanwhile, footage of the actual eruption remains a grim reminder of Mother Natures fierce and unpredictable legacy.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

There may not have been any direct human deaths attributed to the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, but that doesnt make the environmental impact from this disaster any less tragic. Whats even more troubling is how time couldnt even stop such a tragic oil spill from occuring again, since the over ten million gallons of crude oil expelled into Alaskan waters were trumped by the Deepwater Horizon spill from 2010. Yet, what both of these senseless spills have in common is the fact that both received international television coverage, as they happened, in real time.

The Chernobyl Disaster

The Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union was still very much in effect when the Chernobyl Disaster occurred back in 1986. The tensions from this era resulted in a delayed release of information from the U.S.S.R., although American news outlets were reporting within days of the April 26th reactor explosion that killed over thirty people. This was as live as many Americans got to the cleanup efforts and ramifications of the radiation sickness that afflicted those that were tragically caught in the nuclear fallout. A sobering series of reports that captured the attention of viewers around the world.

Tiananmen Square Protests & Massacre

It took the combined efforts of foreign media outlets reporting upon the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests and Massacre to reveal defining images of this student-led uprising. Images such as that of The Tank Man, an unknown protester standing in the path of oncoming Chinese armored artillery. Foreign footage of the protests, and of the disputed death toll of the violent Tiananmen Square clashes, spread information to the world, just as Chinas own media censored and attempted to control their narrative. The resulting work from outlets like CNN and the BBC allowed for the legacy of these protests, and of the massacre, to live on despite attempts to erase them from Chinas history.

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Every 80s kid surely remembers the Challenger disaster. There was a ton of hype behind this launch, led mainly by the Teacher in Space Project, which allowed New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe to fly with six other astronauts. The project was enormously popular, generating widespread interest in the Challenger launch and kickstarting a cultural fascination with space exploration. As a result, schools around the country tuned in and allowed their students to watch the Challenger launch live on TV. But on January 28, 1986, they all watched the space shuttle explode in real time, killing everyone onboard. It was a national disaster of epic proportions and one that will never be forgotten.

Can you remember watching any of this footage live, as it was happening? What are your thoughts about our ever-present access to live information? Let us know in the comments.