12 Of The Most Shocking Moments Ever Captured On Live TV
There are few things better than sitting back with your feet up while watching some live TV.
There’s so much to watch these days, the amount of variety we have is amazing!
But with so much to watch, it’s no wonder that so many people prefer staying at home and tuning in to weird and random shows instead of going out.
But with so many live shows to watch, there can be a few incidents that weren’t meant to happen.
Sometimes it couldn’t be accidentally swearing, but others… Well, something absolutely crazy could happen…
1. A Japanese Death
On Oct. 12, 1960, during a televised political debate, Japanese politician Inejiro Asanuma was assassinated. He was killed by a 17-year-old boy, Otoya Yamaguchi, who used a samurai sword to do the deed.
He was a young militant nationalist, and he rushed the stage and stabbed Asanuma on his left side, killing him live on TV.
2. A Little Tight
Hogan and Mr. T were on the show promoting the show WrestleMania when Beltzer asked Hogan to perform some wrestling moves on him. Hogan happily obliged and put Beltzer in a front headlock and put him to sleep.
Beltzer soon dropped to the floor, where he smashed his head open before he regained consciousness.
3. Died Of Laughter
On April 15, 1984, while performing on live television, the British comedian Tommy Cooper collapsed from a heart attack halfway through his act.
But because Cooper’s acts consisted of failed magic tricks, the audience didn’t notice anything was unusual and continued to laugh.
He died shortly after.
4. A Failed Psychic
Live on Indian television back on March 3, 2008, Sanal Edamaruku challenged Surinder Sharma (a tantrik) to kill him on live television using only his tantra powers.
But after hours of trying, Sharma claimed that he could not kill Edamaruku because the god he prayed to was protecting him.
That’s when Edamaruku revealed that he was an atheist…
5. A First In Journalism History
Christine Chubbuck was a TV news reporter for WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. and on the 15th of July, 1974, she shot herself live on air.
Before killing herself, she read the following statement:
“In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: attempted suicide.”
6. I Saw The President
Samuel J. Seymour was the last living person to witness the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Seymour was only 5 when he was taken to the theater the night Lincoln was shot.
He apparently saw John Wilkes Booth jump off the balcony and break his ankle- Ouch!
Seymour soon died two months later.
7. Off To War We Go
On Dec. 1, 1969, CBS aired “The Draft Lottery.” During this lottery, birthdays were drawn at random for the Vietnam War draft.
The broadcast was live from the selective service headquarters in Washington, DC. The first birthday that was picked was Sept. 14.
It was the first time a lottery draft had been used in the US since 1942.
8. Friendly Cannablism
In 2011, two Dutch TV presenters actually ate each other on live TV.
They each had pieces of their flesh surgically removed from their bodies — one piece of meat was from their butt cheek, the other from the abdomen.
A TV chef even cooked the tiny pieces of flesh in sunflower oil!
9. Read It Out Loud
Back in August 1987, Gary Stollman interrupted a live newscast at KNBC.
He was armed with a BB gun and demanded anchor David Horowitz read out a statement about the CIA and aliens.
The moment was very tense, thankfully Horowitz was able to stay calm while he had a fake gun pointed at him!
10. Too Much Fighting
Technical malfunctions played a big part in this fatal accident.
On May 23, 1999, professional wrestler fell from 78 feet and fell to his death.
This was at the WWF (which is now WWE) live pay-per-view Over the Edge event. There was an equipment malfunction which caused him to fall.
11. I Predict A Riot
On April 30, 1992, during the Los Angeles riots, the emergency broadcast system was activated on most local TV stations within LA.
The message announced an emergency curfew that would take place at 6:45 pm. Can you remember seeing this on the TV in 90s?
12. Earthquake!
During the third game of the World Series in 1989, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Bay Area and was caught live on TV.
Commotion at stadium quickly ensued, but the live feed was quickly cut.
