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Mass Media Time Span
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Assassinaton of President McKinley
U.S president William MckKinley, 25th president of the United States was assassinated in office. He was president during the Industrial Revolution. An anarchist shot him in the stomach during a public appearance. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a passenger ship that was sunk by a German Uboat. Reports of the attack never said that the ship was carrying ammunition and military supplies. Instead, they said the attack was unprovoked and meant to target civilians. This was one of the first examples of yellow journalism, where the news manipulated public opinion. -
FDR Fireside Chat
FDR spoke over the radio during evening radio shows. There were 28 of the chats. FDR was a great communicator and he used the radio to explain the New Deal program to the public. -
First televised sporting event
In 1936, The first sporting event ever televised was the Berlin Olympics. It also included Jesse Owens, An African American athlete who won the 100 m finals. It was during Nazi Germany and they thought they were superior. Turns out they were wrong. -
Wizard of oz debues
In 1939, The Wizard of Oz was released to theaters across the U.S. This was also the first use of the color camera and everyone enjoyed it. The Wizard of Oz became more popular after it was televised in 1956. An estimate 45 million people watched the broadcast. -
Desegregation of Little Rock Schools
President Eisenhower tells the American people that he is sending federal troops to Arkansas to Desegregate public schools. -
First televised presidential debate
American voters got to see the 2 candidates instead of hearing them. Radio listeners thought that Richard Nixon, while tv viewers thought JFK won. -
CBS broadcasts MLKs speech
In a civil rights movement, MLK gave a speech that would inspire many people today called " I have a dream." The Media spent their afternoon filming this and getting as much coverage as they can. -
President John F. Kennedy Assassinated
In 1963, 35th president of the United states, John F. Kennedy traveled to Dallas, Texas. Many people were gathered to honor the president. After driving in a motorcade, Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated him. He was also declared the 4th president killed in office. A large funeral took place and people said their goodbyes. But the most wonderful goodbye of all was Kennedy's son, John Jr, who gave his father a goodbye salute. This was a difficult day for the USA. -
The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show
The beginning of the musical revolution called the British Invasion began with The Beatles playing live on the Ed Sullivan show. It is estimated that 73 million people watched them perform on TV. The audience made up of mostly young girls screamed so loud you could barely hear them play. It started Beatlemania and Ed Sullivan is credited with bringing the music to the United States. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On the day of April 4th, in Memphis, Tennessee Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and sent the world into shock. King led civil rights movements since the mid- 1950s. King was planned to go to congress on behalf of the poor. On June 8th, the suspect of Kings assassination was apprehended. -
Assassination of Bobby Kennedy
Senator Robert Kennedy was shot in a hotel in LA. He was said to be the only American to be capable of uniting the people. He was loved for his integrity and devotion to the civil rights cause. His assassin, SirHan confessed his crime and received a death sentence. -
The Apollo 11 Lunar Landing
Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Ed Aldrin landed on the moon and an entire generation of Americans watched it. For the first time in history, a human being stood on the moon. -
President Nixon brought down through newspaper reporting
Investigative journalism from the Washington post believed there were illegal activities involving President Nixon, ultimately leading to his resignation. It took years, but they eventually they were able to expose Nixon and end his corruption and force him to resign. -
Elvis Presley found dead
Elvis Presley was known as the king of rock and roll. His version of new music became popular in the 1950s. He danced in a very new and different way... And women went crazy over him. He died from a heart attack at age 42, but many suspect a drug overdose. -
Iran hostage crisis
During the Vietnam war, Iran was in desperate American aid. During a hostage crisis, 52 Americans were captured. ABC news created a news program called Night line to show the viewers what was happening through satellite technology. No other channels had this information that could be streamed. -
1980 Men's Olympic Hockey Finals
The game was supposed to take place at 5pm ET. ABC asked to have the game delayed until 8pm so they could broadcast it live. That request was denied. ABC taped the game and delayed broadcasting until 8pm anyway - so when the historic game showed on TV it had already played. The game and the US viewing audience's interest in it, brought to life the height of the Cold War between Russia and the USSR. -
Launch of MTV
On Saturday August 1st 1981, at midnight eastern time, MTV launched its cable network. It forever changed the way the world listens to music. Now, what the artist looks like and the story of their music video is just as important as the song. -
Live Aid
Prince Charles and Princess Diana organized a 16 hour rock concert to raise money to help famine in Africa. The concert raised $125 million. It was also televised live by satellite and had a billion viewers in 110 nations. -
The 1986 SPACE Shuttle Challenger explosion
In 1986, a space shuttle called the challenger was going on a mission to space and 1 minute into takeoff, it exploded, killing the entire crew of 7 people. Flames burned through the main oxygen tank which was flammable and that's what caused the explosion. Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher, had joined the crew to teach a science lesson from space. Thousands of students were watching the live telecast when the shuttle exploded. -
Rescue of Baby Jessica
On October 14th, a Baby named Jessica fell into a well 22 feet below the surface. Emergency Responses drilled into the hole and heard her voice. They managed to get her out and she was completely covered in dirt. -
Sinking of Exxon Valdez
In 1989, After an oil ship named the Exxon Valdez left Alaska, it sunk at 12:04 am into a reef, spreading oil into the ocean and animals died because of it. People helped the animals in a desperate rescue effort to stop them from dying. The operation was successful but many animals still died. -
Nelson Mandela released from prison
Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner in Africa, served a 27 year prison sentence. The people protested and due to fear of a civil war, president F.W de clerk released him. Then the African people were happy. Nelson Mandela was one of the greatest supporters of peace and the ending of Apartheid. -
Persian Gulf War broadcast on live tv
In the Persian gulf war with Iraq, along with major WW2 events being covered on radio, this war was pretty major as well. People at home could watch this live. This conflict also lead to a quick U.S victory. Reporters were live in the battlefield showing real time events. -
OJ Simpson stands trial for murder of ex wife.
On June 13th 1994, at 12:10 am, Famous football player,, OJ Simpson was arrested and put on trial after his ex wife had been murdered. In the end, the verdict was not guilty. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
In Oklahoma city in 1995, a truck packed with explosives was detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah federal building leaving 168 dead and hundreds more wounded. The bomb was set off by Timothy McVeigh who in 2001 was executed for his crimes. -
Princess Diana pronounced dead
Princess Diana of England was very popular with the people. they adored her so much and everyone was trying to get pictures of her when one night the paparazzi was pursuing her car and that resulted in a fatal accident. Princess Diana was killed in the accident and pronounced dead at 4am. -
Columbine High School shooting
Two High School students In Colorado, brought guns to their school and went on a shooting spree. No one knows why but it was suspected that they were bullied and outcasts. This was a big news event and sparked debates about gun control laws in our country, that still continue today. -
Presidential election night mistake
All news networks reported that in a close race in Florida for the presidential election, that Al Gore was the winner. However, George W. Bush actually won the state of Florida and the election. The media reported incorrectly. -
The September 11th Terrorist Attacks
On the day of September 11th 2001, there were sudden terrorist attacks on NYC and Washington DC using with commercial flights as weapons. The terrorists were members of Al Qaeda and hijacked 4 planes. They then crashed the planes into The World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon, killing thousands of people. The world watched all of this unfold live on TV as the attacks happened. -
Response to the 2004 Indonesia Tsunami
On the day after Christmas in 2004, There were earthquakes in the water, marking a Tsunami was about to hit. 227,898 people were killed. The news was able to get a lot of aid to the people who were effected by this Tsunami and got lots of images quickly. -
Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, people found out they were getting a category 3 hurricane with 100- 140 mph winds. In New Orleans, the situation became catastrophic when levees broke and massive amounts of water flooded the city. The News showed devastating pictures and videos of people trapped in their homes. -
Hudson River water landing
In 2009, A plane experiencing engine failure made an emergency landing into the Hudson River. The pilot who's nickname is Sully, became a hero for saving every single life on board the plane. -
Inauguration of Barak Obama
President Obama, the first African American president, took his oath of office. It as the most live streamed event in internet history up until this point. -
Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days.
In 2010, in the country of Chili, miners were trapped underground. The main ramp to exit the mine collapsed and caused 33 miners to be trapped. The miners had very little food water so they shared small rations. Then rescuers came and got them out. The miners were evaluated after due to the psychological toll the isolation may have had on them. -
Death of Osama Bin Laden
In 2011, 10 years after 9/11, president Obama told the nation in a televised speech, who was the leader of the terrorist group who caused 9/11. He sent U.S special forces after him and they killed him. -
Occupy Wall Street
On September 17th, 2011, a protest occupied all of Wall Street, NY in the financial district. It spawned a surge and got public attention. Causes were political corruption, wealth inequality, and corporate influence of government. Protesters basically set up a camp and lived on Wall Street to bring attention to these issues. It was widely covered by the news. -
Hurricane Sandy
On October 29th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy AKA Superstorm Sandy was responsible for 147 deaths and homes destroyed. There were 48 in NY and 12 in NJ, 2 in Pennsylvania, 5 in Connecticut and other states. At first, it was only a category 1 hurricane. Then it landed in Haiti and the Bahamas. It also landed in Cuba as a category 2 hurricane. It was also 80 mph winds. Emergency protocols were enacted then it developed into a category 2. It was one of the worst ever in history. -
Two bombs explode at the Boston Marathon
During the Boston Marathon on April 15th, 2013 two bombs went off near the finish line at 2:49 pm. 3 people died. Among those was an 8- year old boy. 260 people were wounded and 16 people lost their limbs. The youngest one was a 7- year old girl. A night long manhunt ended in the capture of the terrorists, two brothers who made a bomb out of a backpack. -
Manchester bombing
During a concert in Manchester, United Kingdom with Ariana Grande, a bomb went off as fans were exiting the arena. 22 people were killed. 512 wounded. The bombing was a suicide attack so the bomber died too. And the bomb detonated after the concert ended and people were leaving the arena. Ariana Grande and other artists later hosted a concert to raise money for all the victims and show that we can't give in to terrorism and fear.
