There is no end of world events that have changed things forever but outside of the world events, there have been other events where millions of people have watched something unfold that will remain a memory forever. Keen to look back on these life-changing events Betway Insider recently investigated what popular events have taken place in the past. You might be surprised at just how many events have gained the attention of more than 500 million people at a time; so let’s take a look at what some of those are.
The Apollo Moon Landing
This is an event that certainly changed this – as we discovered that it was possible for man to walk on the moon. On the 20th of July 1969 650 million people tuned in to watch Neil Armstrong step onto the moon – the first human to ever do so! What is perhaps the most impressive about the viewing figures is that it meant people from New York tuned it at nearly 11 pm while people from the UK were awake to watch at just before 4 am – incredible.
The Wall: Live in Berlin
There are many events to do with the Berlin Wall that changed history forever, but the Live in Berlin concert certainly did too! In fact, it is estimated that the July 1990 event had 18% of the world’s population tune in to watch. When you consider that 350,000 people turned up to watch the event live and 1 billion people watched from the comfort of their own homes, it’s definitely an event that gained massive audience interest.
The Beijing Olympics
There have been a number of Olympic opening ceremonies in the past & no doubt there will be plenty more in the future. The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony took place on the 8th of August 2008 and started at 8 pm; a nod towards Chinese culture and the significance of the number 8. It is thought that 21% of the population tuned in to watch – an impressive 1.4 billion people.
Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii
It isn’t just modern events that have gained big audiences, Elvis managed to do it as far back as 1973 too! His event from the Honolulu International Centre in Hawaii saw him broadcast via satellite to 40 countries – the first time a solo performer had achieved something like this. 1 billion people tuned in to watch him do it!
Live Aid
Of course, Live Aid has to be mentioned as arguably one of the best live music events that have ever taken place.39% of the world’s population turned in to watch the two concerts and witnessed the likes of David Bowie, The Who and of course, Queen give the performances of their lives. 1.9 billion people switched their TV sets on to watch the live broadcasts of both concerts – moments that will live with people forever, as they got to see some amazing live music and change history at the same time; what an achievement.