9/11, Katrina top most memorial TV moments

Updated: July 11, 2012 - 7:47 PM

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The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack is by far the most memorable moment shared by television viewers in the past 50 years, said a study Wednesday. The only thing that came close was President John F. Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath in 1963, but that was only for the people aged 55 and older who experienced those events as they happened instead of replayed as an historical artifact.

Sony Electronics and the Nielsen television research company collaborated on the survey of 1,077 adults. They ranked TV moments not just by asking people if they remembered watching them, but if they recalled where they watched it, who they were with and whether they talked about what they had seen. By that measure, 9/11 was nearly twice as impactful as the second-ranked moment, which was the 2005 coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The other biggest events, in order, were the 1995 verdict in O.J. Simpson's murder trial, the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986 and the death of Osama bin Laden last year. Men and women agreed on the three most impactful TV events -- Sept. 11, Katrina and Simpson. After that, some of the interests diverged. For example, women ranked the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana as fourth, while men put that at No. 23. Women ranked last year's death of Whitney Houston at No. 5, with men judging it No. 21. The 2003 bombing of Baghdad was seen as the No. 14 most impactful moment by men, and No. 37 among women. Men were also far more struck by boxer Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear. Age also made a difference. JFK's assassination ranked second among people 55 and older, while for those 18-34 said it was Bin Laden's death. Young people also ranked Barack Obama's Election Night speech in 2008 at No. 3, while older viewers ranked it No. 24.

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