July 20: Most Memorable TV Moments: The 1980s

By Sylvia Gurinsky
YesterTube continues a look at the most memorable television moments, divided by decade, with the 1980s:

Sports: Game 6 of 1986 World Series, New York Mets v. Boston Red Sox, October 25, 1986

Nothing crystalized the so-called "curse" of the Boston Red Sox like what happened to them in the 10th inning of game six. Just one strike away from their first World Series championship since 1918, the Red Sox blew it - first with relief pitcher Bob Stanley's wild pitch that let the tying New York Met run in, then with Bill Buckner's major error:

Buckner's Boot

It would be 18 more years before the Red Sox finally won another World Series. The Mets have yet to win another.

Culture: The wedding of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, July 29, 1981

Never mind, for the moment, the heartbreak and tragedy that came later. For the United Kingdom, then emerging from economic troubles, and for the world, this wedding was a genuine celebration and a fairy tale come to life:

Charles & Diana

News: Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, January 28, 1986

After 24 missions, Space Shuttle travel had become almost routine to the public. What made this one different was the presence of Concord, N.H. teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had planned experiments for American students during the mission. Sadly, tragedy happened about a minute in:

Space Shuttle Challenger

McAuliffe and her six colleagues were killed.

That night, President Ronald Reagan, whose State of the Union address had been originally scheduled for that night, addressed the nation from the Oval Office:

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God,'" Reagan said.

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Note: The next post, about the 1990s, will appear next Tuesday, as will a tribute to Tom Davis, the comedy partner of Al Franken. Davis died yesterday.