Some of the biggest events ever shown on TV have been wars, natural disasters and tragedies, but some of the greatest events have also been recorded on video.

The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its launch and killed all seven astronauts. Sadly, the event left a huge legacy; if it had survived, Sharon Christa McAuliffe would have been the first woman in space. The disaster was broadcast worldwide, and an estimated 17% of the United States population watched it live.

The Kennedy assassination was the first major event to be televised live on television. The Kennedy assassination, which took place on November 22, 1963, brought television viewers worldwide instant access to the unfolding events. In addition to the news broadcasts, continuous footage of the nighttime viewing took place on NBC. The funeral of JFK was watched by 180 million people, and the shooting of sniper Lee Harvey Oswald was broadcast live on TV.

The trial of O.J. Simpson in 1994 attracted over 100 million viewers. The trial ended in acquittal for Simpson, but the case captured the attention of the nation. In addition to his arrest, Simpson’s high-speed Bronco escape captured the attention of the country. The two-hour car chase was caught on news helicopter tape, and the live broadcast of the trial was watched by 95 million people.

Royal weddings are another happier global event that have been televised and prove extremely popular. The live coverage of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton attracted a whopping 38 million UK viewers to all or part of the broadcast and in the U.S this figure was 60 million tuning it at some point.

One of the biggest TV events in human history was the Apollo 11 Moon landings. Around the globe in 1969, 600 million people watched as Armstrong took his first steps on the moon. At the time, that equated to one sixth of the entire global population. Make sure you never miss an important broadcast by considering TV aerial installation Bristol from a firm like aerial-installations-bristol.co.uk

In August 2010, when Chilean miners got trapped underground, the world watched in suspense as rescue efforts continued after a note reached the surface to say that they were still alive. They would be stranded for a further 2 months. Finally in October, one billion watchers followed the rescue mission as all 33 were rescued from their subterranean prison.