10 The 1989 San Francisco earthquake
The history of sports is filled with great live TV moments—this one manages to transcend athletics. During live coverage of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, the broadcast was suddenly interrupted by one of the biggest earthquakes to ever hit the city.
Seconds after the quake hit, the feed cut out, but not before Michaels was heard saying something in a panicked voice. TV screens then switched to a generic World Series graphic with the announcers attempting to explain the situation to a shocked public. All of this happened in real time. The World Series coverage became America’s gateway for the first bits of information of one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country’s history.
