When you turn on the news most days, you tend to forget that, often enough, you will see real, live footage broadcast through your screen. A developing story can quickly turn into something you will end up remembering forever.
A netizen asked the internet “What is the scariest/weirdest/most mysterious thing to ever happen on live television?” and people share their best examples. We also got in touch with obsessed_with_dogs who made the initial post. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorite examples, and share your own experiences in the comments.
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The Space Shuttle exploded.
I was in fourth grade. The teacher were all crying and we got sent home early if we wanted to go.
I remember the tanks rolling in on Tienanmen Square. The bravery of those people protesting for democracy was astounding. But knowing what was coming was horrifying.
Bored Panda got in touch with obsessed_with_dogs who originally posed this question to the internet and they were kind enough to share their thoughts. Firstly, we were curious to hear their reasons for asking this question in the first place.
“So much has happened in the world that has been lost to time, but in these cases, they’re cemented forever because they just so happened to occur while someone was filming. The live aspect just adds to it as it connects millions of strangers by showing just one moment in time,” they shared with Bored Panda.
When the Australian reporter discovered a hostage she was talking about live, was her friend
Seeing that dye drip down Giuliani's face. Bonkers that would ever happen. Plus the Four Seasons Landscaping thing...
I saw that. I don't remember what was happening, but I do remember the dye dripping down. He got a handkerchief and tried to wipe it, but he made it worse.
When the sky opened up and started raining while Prince played Purple Rain at the Superbowl halftime show. Sent chills down my spine.
We also wanted to know if obsessed_with_dogs had any strange or scary live TV experiences themselves. “The only shocking thing I’ve ever seen live was watching the news here in Ireland during a snowstorm. Some poor man slipped on the ice and was caught alive. The poor man goes viral every winter, and this was back in the early 2000s.” As some readers may have noticed, most of these examples are older, as modern “live TV” often actually has a slight delay to help avoid the very situations listed here.
OJ Bronco chase
I know the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen was a guy throwing his shoes at the President.
Not really crazy or out there, but I remember watching the live updates on TV about Steve Irwin’s condition after coming home from school. Seeing them update the headlines from things like accident, to serious, to fatal followed by non-stop news and reflections on his life for the next few days. The world lost a legend that day.
We were curious to hear obsessed_with_dogs’ thoughts on the thread’s popularity. “I think some people just want to share something they’ve personally witnessed to connect with others who have witnessed it too. It could be like group therapy, especially when it’s something dark. Others just like reading about historical events, or macabre topics.”
Gary Plauche smoking his sons kidnapper/rap**t, revolver point blank to the head.
Randy Johnson hitting that bird mid flight 100 mph fastball
“I myself love the history aspect. I was alive for many of the “main” topics featured but some were from before I was born. It’s interesting to learn - and actually see - things that happened that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. As well as that, when it comes to the more horrible things caught on live TV, it gives people a chance to see the good that comes from the bad. With 9/11 coverage, the scenes were just awful. Absolutely heartbreaking.”
The night princess diana died. The Simpsons used to come on at 11pm, I was watching one night and they interrupted the broadcast to show the paris crash scene. I had no idea who she was at the time and I kept waiting for the Simpsons to come back on. It was all over the news the next day
I remember the following morning coming back from holiday with my family really early in the morning (I was 13). I put the TV on and it was on the news. I told my parents, “Princess Diana died,” and they didn’t believe me. Understandable. It was impossible to believe that somebody so well known and loves could die that suddenly.
The Station nightclub fire is the reason why I case every single room/building I walk into and make sure there are multiple exits, and that I know where they are. That video was horrifying and terrifying in equal measure.
There was no Modus Operandi. It was the pyrotechnics they blew off that started The Station fire.
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I missed out on that because the person I was supposed to go with had car troubles and canceled
I pass the memorial every day. Haunting, even 20 years later.
My best friend called me the morning after and said that her 21 year old cousin never made it out of the ladies room at The Station. She and her friend were found on the floor, having died from smoke inhalation.
Please accept and send my deepest condolences.
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Yes, unfortunately, my dad taught me to do the same thing. Always know where every potential exit is
Yet another unforgettable day of hard-to-believe local news coverage of this terrible tragedy. Maybe I should stop reading this list!
The scariest is the Hillsborough disaster as it unfolded during the FA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989. It was a terrible, terrible crowd crush that was caused by poor policing and poor stadium management. 97 people unnecessarily lost their lives while going to see a sporting event. The worst part is the absolutely f**kery that the victims’ families went through (and still fight) for justice.
“But in the middle of it all, there were strangers rushing to help strangers. People of different cultures, people who couldn’t speak each other’s languages, hugging and offering shelter. Firefighters, paramedics, and police officers all rushed into the chaos, most knowing they were likely to die, but doing it anyway because that’s the right thing to do. Through the devastation, there was compassion, humanity, courage. Things that we as viewers would have never seen had it not been caught live. 9/11 coverage in particular is bittersweet - it contains the worst of humanity and the best of humanity all in one.”
Opening Al Capone's vault.
u/fhrblig added:
Oh man, there was so much buildup to it, too. Then they opened it and it was just full of dirt
I was up at 2 or 3am or whatever it was when the tsunami hit Japan in 2011. They had live footage from a helicopter and you could see the water destroying everything in it's path.
The Balloon Boy Hoax of 2009. Specifically when the kid unintentionally outed his parents for orchestrating the whole thing.
Tommy Cooper was one of the most high profile and loved comedians in England during the 1970s and early 80s (and possibly all-time). He was famous for his slapstick, irreverant humour and for his 'failures' in magic - which took incredible skill and he was one of the higher ranked members of the Magic Circle.
He was famous for hosting variety shows, which were huge draws attracting massive viewing figures every week. One night in 1984, he was up on stage doing his act, about halfway through, he went to put on a cloak as part of his act. After this, he promptly slumped to the floor and people proceeded to laugh, thinking it was part of his act. Even after a few minutes of this people we still laughing until they realised that it was not intended.
Long story short, Tommy Cooper had a heart attack in front of 12 million people, many of whom thought it was a joke for the first few minutes of it happening and died on that April night in 1984.
Boston Marathon Bombing
It was so surreal and I knew a lot of people there (running and spectators). The timing was seriously scary as the Sox game had let out and I couldn't get a hold of family members who had gone to Fenway and planned to walk to the finish line. They decided not to, but our neighbors were directly impacted.
That and the next few days were wild, to say the least.
I know somebody who regularly does marathons, and he frequently ran in the Boston Marathon. Thankfully that year he got past the finish line well before the bomb went off.
An old TV show called ‘That’s Incredible’ had a guest on that claimed he could catch bullets with his teeth.
All so long they built up the suspense. When the time came for the feat, the trigger was pulled and the show immediately cut to commercial. When they came back, they said there was an unfortunate accident.
Another candidate to the Darwin Awards. You've just decided you can catch bullets with your teeth. What could go wrong?
WWE (then WWF) wrestler Owen Hart dying during a live pay-per-view. He was supposed to be lowered into the ring with a harness. The harness failed and he fell 80 feet into the ring. The cameras wound up panning away before he hit the ring, but they announced his death later in the same broadcast.
Fox News was showing a car chase live narrated by Shepard Smith...
The driver gets out of the car with a shotgun; Smith knew something bad was going to happen so he started yelling at the booth "Get off it!" "Get off it!"
But the booth didn't and the guy shooting himself in the head was broadcasted live on Fox News. [Heres the whole story](https://youtu.be/tCqZE5nuJp4) semi NSFL.
The guy who robbed a bank with a collar bomb.
I think the lady who gave it to him told him it was fake. It was not. She was/ is in prison
I remember watching Malice in the Palace live. It was terrifying while it was happening because it seemed like the entire stadium was brawling.
The wine grapes lady falling
I watched the on-air suicide of Budd Dwyer. Yeah, I had to therapy my way through that.
I never saw it live but it did the rounds in the early 2000s, back before you could really vet the videos you saw online. I’ll never forget it. Can’t imagine how you felt seeing it live
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In the weird/funny realm, I saw BBC News do an interview with a man about a court case regarding Apple Music streaming and The Beatles record label but they got the interviewee mixed up and actually had, live on air, a man who was there for a job interview!! Chap just rolled with it.....absolute legend!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Y2uQn_wvc
That's a classic, I remember watching it as well, he nailed it 😆
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It isn't unique at all- the author of this article has simply copy and pasted everything from a Buzzfeed article that was released a day or two before this was put online. Copying Buzzfeed articles word for word is a very common practice for Bored Panda and they delete comments I make that call them out on it. I emailed Bored Panda to make them aware that their 'contributors' were doing this and all that happened was they deleted my account!
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Watching Lee Harvey Oswald get fatally shot in the stomach on live TV by Jack Ruby
I started watching the game, but stopped before it actually happened, but NFL player, Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest on the field early this year. I was checking daily for updates on his condition. Thank God he's alive and healthy; if it wasn't for those first responders, he could have very well died.
Came out of my room, cousin was watching baseball.... and then... cut to commercial... cause there was a massive earthquake... 1989 :-) That was a bit odd.
That was a mind blower. Also, I went to the wedding of this couple who were both on disability due to weird incidents. They had their honeymoon in San Francisco, just in time for the earthquake, and not long after they got home, their house burned down
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I don't see the Reginald Dennys beating video. I didn't see it live, but I know people who did, and I have seen the video. It's disturbing to say the least.
True. I lived in Long Beach, Ca at the time and it was definitely scary, it wasn't safe to leave home, for several days the city had a curfew and pretty much the only traffic you'd hear was emergency vehicles. My nextdoor neighbor was a 911 operator and the police came and escorted to work each day it was happening.
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Lee Harvey Oswald getting shot/killed in the Dallas Police parking garage.
Saw a lot of these (I am old). I'd have liked to see the release of Mandela and the assassination of Verwoerd on the list.
Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Waco seige with David Koresh in 1993, and the Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992. Oh, and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Saw the beginning and ending of Waco. When it happened one of our patients and his wife were both ATF agents. They knew one of the agents who was killed. Oklahoma City bombing I was watching a morning show in Dallas. Immediately cut to it. Only missed Ruby Ridge.
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Not frightening or anything similar, but years ago I was watching an NFL game, where one team had made an incredible comeback. One of the cameramen pointed his camera at a big linebacker on the losing team sitting on the bench, who promptly told him, on live TV, to "GET THAT F&*#ING CAMERA OUT OF MY FACE!!!!" The camera was quickly pointed in a different direction.
At the end of a recent Super Bowl one player accidentally dropped the F-bomb on camera
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Can someone please explain to me these ones? -number 15 -number 7 -number 2
The 1980 siege of the Iranian embassy in London, and SAS anti terrorist troops storming the building and rescuing the hostages.
I was watching local news Aug 26, 2015 and saw the murder of Alison Parker and Adam Ward live while they were doing an interview at Smith Mountain Lake.
Didn’t see it happen, but just missed it by a few minutes. My mom had asthma pretty bad and sometimes she would be up in the middle of the night with it. She was watching Bobby Kennedy’s acceptance speech in Los Angeles. He said “It’s on to Chicago and let’s win there.” She said to herself “Well, I guess that’s it.”, turned off the Tv and went to bed. Hearing in the morning that he had been shot just a couple of minutes later really shook her up.
Hey, that’s me! Thanks Justin for reaching out and sharing all of these stories!
I watched the on-air suicide of Budd Dwyer. Yeah, I had to therapy my way through that.
I never saw it live but it did the rounds in the early 2000s, back before you could really vet the videos you saw online. I’ll never forget it. Can’t imagine how you felt seeing it live
Load More Replies... In the weird/funny realm, I saw BBC News do an interview with a man about a court case regarding Apple Music streaming and The Beatles record label but they got the interviewee mixed up and actually had, live on air, a man who was there for a job interview!! Chap just rolled with it.....absolute legend!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Y2uQn_wvc
That's a classic, I remember watching it as well, he nailed it 😆
Load More Replies... It isn't unique at all- the author of this article has simply copy and pasted everything from a Buzzfeed article that was released a day or two before this was put online. Copying Buzzfeed articles word for word is a very common practice for Bored Panda and they delete comments I make that call them out on it. I emailed Bored Panda to make them aware that their 'contributors' were doing this and all that happened was they deleted my account!
Load More Replies... Watching Lee Harvey Oswald get fatally shot in the stomach on live TV by Jack Ruby
I started watching the game, but stopped before it actually happened, but NFL player, Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest on the field early this year. I was checking daily for updates on his condition. Thank God he's alive and healthy; if it wasn't for those first responders, he could have very well died.
Came out of my room, cousin was watching baseball.... and then... cut to commercial... cause there was a massive earthquake... 1989 :-) That was a bit odd.
That was a mind blower. Also, I went to the wedding of this couple who were both on disability due to weird incidents. They had their honeymoon in San Francisco, just in time for the earthquake, and not long after they got home, their house burned down
Load More Replies... I don't see the Reginald Dennys beating video. I didn't see it live, but I know people who did, and I have seen the video. It's disturbing to say the least.
True. I lived in Long Beach, Ca at the time and it was definitely scary, it wasn't safe to leave home, for several days the city had a curfew and pretty much the only traffic you'd hear was emergency vehicles. My nextdoor neighbor was a 911 operator and the police came and escorted to work each day it was happening.
Load More Replies... Lee Harvey Oswald getting shot/killed in the Dallas Police parking garage.
Saw a lot of these (I am old). I'd have liked to see the release of Mandela and the assassination of Verwoerd on the list.
Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Waco seige with David Koresh in 1993, and the Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992. Oh, and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Saw the beginning and ending of Waco. When it happened one of our patients and his wife were both ATF agents. They knew one of the agents who was killed. Oklahoma City bombing I was watching a morning show in Dallas. Immediately cut to it. Only missed Ruby Ridge.
Load More Replies... Not frightening or anything similar, but years ago I was watching an NFL game, where one team had made an incredible comeback. One of the cameramen pointed his camera at a big linebacker on the losing team sitting on the bench, who promptly told him, on live TV, to "GET THAT F&*#ING CAMERA OUT OF MY FACE!!!!" The camera was quickly pointed in a different direction.
At the end of a recent Super Bowl one player accidentally dropped the F-bomb on camera
Load More Replies... Can someone please explain to me these ones? -number 15 -number 7 -number 2
The 1980 siege of the Iranian embassy in London, and SAS anti terrorist troops storming the building and rescuing the hostages.
I was watching local news Aug 26, 2015 and saw the murder of Alison Parker and Adam Ward live while they were doing an interview at Smith Mountain Lake.
Didn’t see it happen, but just missed it by a few minutes. My mom had asthma pretty bad and sometimes she would be up in the middle of the night with it. She was watching Bobby Kennedy’s acceptance speech in Los Angeles. He said “It’s on to Chicago and let’s win there.” She said to herself “Well, I guess that’s it.”, turned off the Tv and went to bed. Hearing in the morning that he had been shot just a couple of minutes later really shook her up.
Hey, that’s me! Thanks Justin for reaching out and sharing all of these stories!
