Sony Electronics and the Nielsen television research company have ranked the most memorable American TV moments by asking people if they remembered watching them and also if they recalled where they watched it, who they were with and whether they talked to other people about what they had seen. The Sept. 11 tragedy was nearly twice as impactful as the second-ranked moment, which was the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Here are the top 20.

 

These are actual real life news events...not television show moments.

 

America's 20 Most Memorable Moments On TV

 

20) Funeral of President John F. Kennedy

19) Casey Anthony Murder Trial Verdict

18) Rodney King Beating, Los Angeles Riots

17) Bush/Gore Election Debacle

16) Oklahoma City Bombing

15) Assassination of President Kennedy

14) Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

13) Barack Obama Acceptance Speech

12) Capture And Execution Of Saddam Hussein

11) Death of Whitney Houston

10) Funeral Of Princess Diana

9) Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill

8) School Shooting In Columbine

7) Earthquake in Japan

6) White Bronco Chase

5) Death Of Osama bin Laden

4) Challenger Disaster

3) OJ Simpson Verdict

2) Hurricane Katrina

1) September 11 Attacks

I think there are a few blatant oversights and a few that are way off the mark.

 

Where are Tiananmen Square protests, the Berlin Wall coming down, the Branch Davidian compound incident, the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, the Munich Olympic hostage situation, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, ANYTHING from the Vietnam conflict...

 

And come on...the death of Whitney Houston?? William & Kate's wedding?? Really? Major television events - maybe. But are they bigger than the first moon landing, of all things?????

I agree!!

The other thing that stands out to me, is that there are some on the list that I would not consider "moments". The oil spill and the hurricane coverage would be more of "events" to me, as opposed to a single point in time that will be forever branded in your memory. It would be hard to tell when the coverage of some of these events started/stopped. Seeing the damage done by an earthquake after the fact, is far different than seeing what happens as it's occuring.

The other thing that stands out to me, is that there are some on the list that I would not consider "moments". The oil spill and the hurricane coverage would be more of "events" to me, as opposed to a single point in time that will be forever branded in your memory. It would be hard to tell when the coverage of some of these events started/stopped. Seeing the damage done by an earthquake after the fact, is far different than seeing what happens as it's occuring.

 

If anything the Tsunami (thought not a truly American Moment) in Japan was watched as it unfolded by so many in this country. I could see it on the list simply because of how many of us watched it unfold.

The other thing that stands out to me, is that there are some on the list that I would not consider "moments". The oil spill and the hurricane coverage would be more of "events" to me, as opposed to a single point in time that will be forever branded in your memory. It would be hard to tell when the coverage of some of these events started/stopped. Seeing the damage done by an earthquake after the fact, is far different than seeing what happens as it's occurring.

 

...also true, yeah.

If anything the Tsunami (thought not a truly American Moment) in Japan was watched as it unfolded by so many in this country. I could see it on the list simply because of how many of us watched it unfold.

 

I think it would be better titled as "20 Most Memorable Moments On TV Through American Eyes".

Pretty interesting list.

 

I'd put the Branch Davidian Compound before Casey Anthony, William and Kate and Whitney Houston.

 

I think some of these had more to do with ratings than the actual significance of the event. I started a HUGE fight on Facebook after growing tired of the 130 day coverage of Whitney Houston's death.

 

I thought the top 6 were spot on. Two OJ moments in the top 6 is correct. Riveting television when it happened. Sept.11 and Katrina are in their rightful spots as well. I've not experienced those kinds of emotions many times in my life like I did on Sept. 11 and during Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. I'll always remember the shock of the Challenger disaster and the death of Osama bin Laden will always be remembered as well.

 

The top 6 is perfect.

What about Jack Ruby shooting Oswald in the Dallas Police station, as the World saw for the visit time the man who shot JFK, then saw him get shot live on TV.

What about Jack Ruby shooting Oswald in the Dallas Police station, as the World saw for the visit time the man who shot JFK, then saw him get shot live on TV.

 

Yeah, that should be top 10, IMO.

What about Jack Ruby shooting Oswald in the Dallas Police station, as the World saw for the visit time the man who shot JFK, then saw him get shot live on TV.

 

That's a REALLY big one, yeah...

Pretty interesting list.

 

I'd put the Branch Davidian Compound before Casey Anthony, William and Kate and Whitney Houston.

 

I think some of these had more to do with ratings than the actual significance of the event. I started a HUGE fight on Facebook after growing tired of the 130 day coverage of Whitney Houston's death.

 

I thought the top 6 were spot on. Two OJ moments in the top 6 is correct. Riveting television when it happened. Sept.11 and Katrina are in their rightful spots as well. I've not experienced those kinds of emotions many times in my life like I did on Sept. 11 and during Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. I'll always remember the shock of the Challenger disaster and the death of Osama bin Laden will always be remembered as well.

 

The top 6 is perfect.

 

I think I'd pretty easily place the Apollo 11 landing over the White Bronco Chase.

Maybe its because I like Michael Jackson more, but I think his death was a bigger deal than Whitney Houston's.

So many of these types of lists tend to become pop culture or somewhat current affair type lists.

 

How many people actually remember JFK being shot. I was not quite 1 year old. I have seen a ton of footage and understand the gravity of it but I can't call that a memerable moment, cause I wasn't there.

 

My dad was pretty political so most of my moments, especially the early ones, fall in the political arena, because that's what we watched. Some of these I don't know if they fall as TV moments as much as moments in history.

 

-I remember Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. That is probably my first memorable TV moment.

-Kent State shootings.

-Nixon visiting China.

-Roe v Wade decision.

-Nixon resigning.

-Bicentenial Celebration.

-Jonestown massacre.

-Iranian hostage crisis.

-Ayatollah Khomeini taking power.

-John Lennon assasination.

-Reagan elected. (My first presidential vote)

-US hockey team beating Russia.

-Reagan assasination attempt.

-Micheal Jackson's Thriller video.(I know, pop culture, but it was huge)

TV images that stick with me include the live shot of the jet hitting the second tower on 911, the South Vietnamese Soldier executing the V.C. with a shot to the temple on the streets of Saigon, the O.J. Bronco chase and Cronkite pulling off the glasses while announcing that JFK had died.