1

The Moon landing (July 20, 1969)

The moment Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface, he had millions of eyes upon him across millions of TV screens. Considered the television event of the decade, t he July 20, 1969 Moon landing broke records at a national and international level. Gathering an estimated 600 to 650 million viewers worldwide, "the small step for man, giant leap for mankind" was watched by around 125 to 150 million American viewers, representing around 93% of households with a TV. This record was not surpassed until the 1981 wedding of Lady Diana and Prince Charles.

2

"Day of Infamy" speech (December 8, 1941)

A day after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Navy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the U.S. Congress during a joint session. His speech, which started by describing the day before as "a date which will live in infamy", was not meant to convince Congress about declaring war —which it did shortly after—but to rally a distressed and shocked nation. One of the most famous political speeches of all time, this address attracted the biggest radio audience in American history, with more than 100 million people (an estimated 81% of the adult population) tuning in.

3

The first Kennedy-Nixon debate (September 26, 1960)

The first of the 1960 presidential debates between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon does not hold the record for the most viewed debate of the century (held by the 1980 Carter-Reagan debate), but it’s nonetheless a landmark event in American television. The first televised presidential debate ever, it attracted between 66 and 77 million viewers , and it is considered one of the main reasons for the shift in public opinion in favor of Kennedy. Nixon, aged 47, the leading candidate before the broadcast, appeared exhausted and pale compared to the much younger-looking and more telegenic Kennedy, aged 43.

4

"I have a dream" speech (August 28, 1963)

The date and location of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech were not accidental. As part of the marches in support of President Kennedy’s proposed civil rights legislation, it coincided with the centennial of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation made by Abraham Lincoln, at whose memorial King gave his speech. Besides the massive live audience (around 250,000 people), the speech was broadcast by the three major television networks and by major radio stations in the country . Although there are no official numbers recorded, it is estimated that there were millions of viewers and listeners, including the First Family at the White House.

5

The War of the Worlds broadcast (October 30, 1938)

On October 30, 1938, CBS Radio Network broadcast a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds , directed and narrated by Orson Welles. The first part of the broadcast was delivered as a realistic news broadcast, with reporters breaking the news about an alien invasion, which led part of the audience to panic and believe that an actual invasion was taking place. The episode had an estimated audience of 6 million, and it is thought that more than a million listeners believed it was a real broadcast.

6

The Beatles’ first U.S. television performance (February 9, 1964)

The most famous British band of all time made their American TV debut on February 9, 1964, on The Ed Sullivan Show , with an audience of 73 million viewers. The performance was highly anticipated —the broadcast network received 50,000 applications for the 728 seats available in the studio— and it is considered the starting point of American Beatlemania and the so-called "British invasion" of American music.

7

FDR's first Fireside Chat (March 12, 1933)

In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the radio became one of the main sources of entertainment and news. President Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats used the radio format as a way to connect directly with millions of weary Americans , explaining the policies that were being implemented to combat the crisis, dispelling rumors, and encouraging them to trust in the government. The friendly, informal tone of these broadcasts was highly effective in raising the nation’s morale and reducing general anxiety. With the first broadcast reaching an audience of 60 million, the Fireside Chats attracted more listeners than most of the popular radio shows, with numbers rising as America entered World War II.

8

Nixon’s resignation speech (August 8, 1974)

On August 8, 1974, President Nixon addressed the American public from the Oval Office to announce his decision to resign the following day as a result of the Watergate scandal and under the threat of an impending impeachment. Besides an ample radio audience, the televised speech was watched by 90 to 110 million television viewers. While the reactions of the public were mixed, the speech had an unprecedented impact and is considered one of the most important political speeches of that era.

9

_Roots_’ final episode (January 30, 1977)

The production and broadcast of the 1977 Roots miniseries was a milestone in itself. Only a few years before, tensions around the Civil Rights movement had shaken America, and some thought that airing a story that put the enslavement of Black people in the spotlight was a huge risk. But audience numbers proved them wrong: with around 29 million households tuning in for the first episode, the series became a cultural phenomenon that sparked conversations about race, ancestry, and American history. The final episode, with more than 100 million viewers —more than half of the U.S. population— was the most-watched TV episode of the time, and the second-most-watched overall series finale in U.S. history.

10

Super Bowl XVI (January 24, 1982)

Nowadays, it’s not surprising that sports events like the Super Bowl have a huge television audience, but things were different in the 1980s. Super Bowl XVI, played on January 24, 1982, in Michigan, with the San Francisco 49ers facing the Cincinnati Bengals, was watched by more than 85 million people, breaking all broadcasting records of the time .

11

Louis-Schmeling rematch (June 22, 1938)

When Joe Louis faced the German boxer Max Schmeling for the first time in 1936, everyone predicted that Schmeling would lose against the undefeated and rising Louis. To the world’s surprise, Schmeling won by knockout. Their rematch two years later was not only Louis’ opportunity to change the result and defeat Schmeling , but it was also charged by the increasing political tensions between Hitler’s Germany and the U.S. Besides its huge live audience at Yankee Stadium, the fight had a record audience of 70 million people in America, with an additional 30 million estimated listeners from other countries.

1

He served hot dogs to British Royalty

In 1939, for the first time ever, a sitting US president hosted the reigning British monarchs on American soil. And it wasn’t just a formal state meeting; it was a picnic.

On June 11 of that year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt welcomed King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to their home in Hyde Park, New York. Instead of an elaborate diplomatic banquet, the menu was unexpectedly simple and quintessentially American: hot dogs and beer. According to FDR, the queen politely tried hers with a knife and fork, while the king ate several with his hands and seemed to enjoy them. Behind the scenes, the visit was more than symbolic, yet folksy hospitality. With war already looming in Europe, both sides were quietly strengthening ties that would soon become crucial during WWII.

2

The first sitting president to fly on a plane

While FDR made history in many ways, one of his lesser-known firsts took place thousands of feet above the ground.

On January 11, 1943, in the middle of WWII, he became the first sitting US president to fly in an airplane. At a time when air travel was still far from routine, he embarked on a secret 7,000-mile journey from Miami, Florida, to Bathurst, Gambia, before continuing to Casablanca, Morocco. The trip wasn't taken for leisure; German U-boats had made Atlantic sea travel risky, so Roosevelt crossed the ocean aboard a Boeing 314 flying boat known as the Dixie Clipper . His destination was the Casablanca Conference, where he met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to discuss wartime strategy.

3

Highly superstitious

Are you the type to knock on wood to avoid bad luck? Or would you walk under a ladder without a second thought? If you're in the first group, you would have fit right in with Franklin D. Roosevelt.

FDR famously declared that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," but he also had a surprisingly superstitious side. According to people who worked with him in the White House, Roosevelt kept his desk and personal items arranged in a precise order that he believed brought good luck. He also disliked the number 13: family members and aides recalled that he avoided hosting dinners with 13 guests and was reluctant to begin important trips on Friday the 13th. He even had a lucky charm, a brown felt fedora that he wore during all four of his presidential campaigns. We can't say it didn't work.

4

He loved practical jokes

With all his responsibilities, talents, and interests, FDR still found time to joke around.

According to his biographers, Roosevelt loved practical jokes and kept his playful streak throughout his life, even pulling pranks well into his presidency. In the tense world of politics, that sense of humor became one of his trademarks. He enjoyed classic gags, including putting bubbling powder in drinking glasses to surprise White House guests, or slipping completely made-up words into conversations and then watching with delight as his staff scrambled to check the dictionary. Friends and aides also noted that he had a unique ability to laugh off rumors, criticism, and political attacks that might have rattled other leaders.

5

Peculiar work schedules

Jokes didn't distract FDR from his work. If anything, they helped him cope, and he certainly had plenty of work to do. In fact, Roosevelt was known for his unusual working hours.

Unlike many other presidents who were early risers, he often worked late into the night and typically didn't begin his day until around 9 am. During WWII, while overseeing a global conflict, he regularly spent his evenings reviewing reports, making decisions, and meeting with advisers long after most Americans had gone to bed. What makes this even more impressive is that he maintained this pace as his health steadily declined. Doctors urged him to slow down and limit his workload, but Roosevelt frequently ignored that advice. For a wartime commander-in-chief, there was always one more decision to make.

6

He appointed the first female cabinet member

Among his many historic firsts, FDR was the inaugural POTUS to appoint a woman to a Cabinet position, a decision that reflected both his political instincts and his willingness to recognize talent and intelligence where he found it.

In 1933, he chose labor advocate Frances Perkins as Secretary of Labor. It turned out to be one of the most consequential appointments of his presidency. Perkins served from 1933 to 1945, making her the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in American history. And as if that weren't enough, she became one of the chief designers of the New Deal.

7

11 presidential relatives

Most people know that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt were related: the 32nd president was a distant cousin of the 26th. But few realize just how extensive FDR’s presidential family tree really was.

In fact, genealogists have traced Franklin Roosevelt’s family connections to at least 11 US presidents. FDR was not only related to Theodore Roosevelt and his own wife, Eleanor Roosevelt (his fifth cousin once removed), but also to an impressive number of other commanders in chief. Among those connected to him by blood were George Washington (with whom he shared ancestors from English nobility and the early settlers of Virginia), John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, and William Harrison. Through marriage and extended family ties, he was also related to Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Martin Van Buren, and William Howard Taft.

8

His illness may not have been polio

As is well known, FDR was struck by a serious illness in 1921 at age 39 that left him permanently unable to walk unaided. But during his presidency, he worked hard to keep public attention focused on his leadership rather than on his body, so while Americans understood he had been diagnosed with polio, few knew about the paralysis.

To stand at public events, Roosevelt relied on heavy steel leg braces and canes that helped him project confidence and strength throughout his presidency. However, although doctors at the time diagnosed him with polio, some modern medical researchers have suggested that his symptoms may have been more consistent with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder.

9

He didn’t graduate from law school

FDR was a bright and curious man who threw himself into subjects that fascinated him, but when something failed to hold his interest, he wasn't afraid to move on.

After earning a History degree from Harvard University in 1903, he enrolled at Columbia Law School, but he found that he simply didn't enjoy it. According to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, Roosevelt showed little enthusiasm for the legal profession, and maybe that’s why he never achieved a Law degree. Even so, he passed the New York bar exam and began practicing after it, but the experiment lasted only a few years. Then, in 1910, an opportunity came along that interested him far more: local Democrats in New York asked him to run for the state Senate. Roosevelt eagerly accepted, and his political career was underway.

10

Expert in many fields

Politics and wartime strategy weren't FDR's only talents. Long before he entered the White House, he acquired a deep interest in nature.

Growing up in Dutchess County, New York, Roosevelt developed a fascination with birds that went far beyond a childhood hobby. By age 11, he was already learning taxidermy, eventually becoming a skilled self-taught naturalist and bird expert. Over the years, he identified and cataloged roughly 300 bird species. His detailed field journals and collection of more than 300 Dutchess County specimens are still considered some of the most complete records of local bird life from that era.

1

Who fired the shot heard ‘round the world?

The war began on the morning of April 19, 1775, when a small group of local militia faced a column of British Redcoats. The American commander, Colonel John Parker, ordered his men to disperse. The British commander, Major John Pitcairn, ordered his troops to hold their fire. Both sides wanted to avoid a bloodbath.

Suddenly, a shot of gunfire was heard through the air. In the confusion, British soldiers charged with bayonets. Who pulled that first trigger? Some accounts suggest a gunman fired from behind a nearby wall. Others claim a fleeing prisoner sparked the chaos. Because both sides swore under oath that they didn’t shoot first, the catalyst of the war remains a mystery.

2

Who betrayed Nathan Hale?

Nathan Hale is considered one of America’s first tragic heroes. A young Connecticut schoolteacher turned army captain, Hale volunteered to infiltrate British-occupied New York City to gather intelligence. He was an amateur spy, and it didn’t take long for the enemy to catch him with compromising notes hidden in his shoes. He was hanged the next morning, at age 21.

The mystery lies in exactly how he was caught. One theory points to his own cousin, Samuel Hale, a Loyalist who allegedly spotted Nathan in a tavern and reported it to British authorities. Another theory suggests he was tricked by Major Robert Rogers, a legendary British counter-insurgency commander who supposedly suspected Hale and got him to confess his mission over drinks.

3

Who burned New York City in 1776?

On September 21, 1776, just days after Nathan Hale’s execution, a fire broke out in the middle of the night. The Great Fire consumed a third of New York City, destroying hundreds of buildings and critical port facilities just when the British military was going to start using the city as their winter base.

The British blamed American arsonists and arrested over 200 people, but no one was ever convicted. Interestingly, George Washington and his collaborators previously debated burning the city, though the Continental Congress ultimately forbade it. Washington publicly denied any involvement, although he privately confessed that the fire was a stroke of luck. Was it a genuine accident, or did radical Patriots take matters into their own hands?

4

Who was Agent 355?

George Washington’s most successful intelligence network was the Culper Spy Ring, which operated in New York. The ring used an intricate system of invisible ink, hidden drop boxes, and complex ciphers. In their master codebook, the number 355 stood simply for "lady."

Agent 355 was a brilliant female operative who provided vital intelligence. Because her identity was protected by the ring’s leaders, her true name was never written down. Scholars have spent centuries debating whether she was a prominent Loyalist society woman secretly sympathetic to the Patriots, a member of the prominent Floyd family, or a composite character representing multiple female informants.

5

The mystery of Silas Deane

Silas Deane was a Connecticut merchant sent by Congress to France in 1776 as America’s first secret diplomat. He performed well at first, successfully securing shipments of French arms and recruiting foreign officers such as the Marquis de Lafayette. However, he fell into a bitter political dispute with fellow diplomat Arthur Lee, who accused Deane of financial fraud.

Totally in disgrace, a ruined Deane spent years in European exile trying to clear his name. In 1789, when he was 51, he boarded a ship to return to the United States for a congressional hearing. Hours into the voyage, he became ill and died. According to rumors, he had been poisoned. Modern historians suspect his close friend and assistant, Edward Bancroft—a British double agent—murdered Deane to keep him from exposing his wartime espionage.

6

Who told the Patriots in Boston that the British were coming?

Before Paul Revere could take his historic midnight ride, someone had to give the Patriots the warning. On the night of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren received precise intelligence that British troops were preparing to march on Lexington and Concord to arrest rebel leaders.

Who leaked this military plan? History has pointed to Margaret Kemble Gage, the American-born wife of the British Commander-in-Chief, General Thomas Gage. Margaret was torn between her love for her husband and her devotion to the land. While her involvement has never been proven, General Gage notably sent his wife away to England shortly after the leak.

7

Was Charles Lee a traitor?

General Charles Lee was George Washington’s second-in-command and an experienced military officer. He was also arrogant and frequently criticized Washington’s leadership. In late 1776, Lee was captured by the British in a New Jersey tavern while writing a letter complaining about Washington's deficiencies.

He was exchanged back to the Americans a year later, but his career ended after he disobeyed Washington’s orders at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. The mystery arose 80 years later, when a lost document surfaced. The document, written in Lee’s own handwriting, outlined a detailed military strategy for the British to defeat the Continental Army. Was Lee a traitor, or was it a strategy to manipulate his captors?

8

Why didn’t the British burn Monticello?

In June 1781, the British cavalry leader Banastre Tarleton—called by Americans "Bloody Tarleton" for his brutal tactics—led a raid on Charlottesville, Virginia. His main objective was to capture Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the state’s governor.

Jefferson managed to escape Monticello, and when Tarleton’s troops occupied his famous estate, they left it entirely untouched, as Tarleton specifically ordered his men not to damage or burn the property. Given that the British often burned the properties of prominent leaders, sparing Monticello was very unusual.

9

Who was Jane McCrea?

Jane McCrea was a young woman from a Loyalist family who was engaged to a lieutenant in the British army. In the summer of 1777, she was taken by Native American warriors allied with British General John Burgoyne's advancing army. Shortly after, she was found dead and scalped.

The Patriots turned her death into a propagandistic victory, using the story to terrify frontier colonists into joining the militia. But who actually killed Jane? The native scouts claimed she was accidentally shot by stray bullets fired by pursuing American soldiers. Other accounts insisted she was murdered during an argument between two native factions. The truth remains buried in the fog of war.

10

What happened to Benjamin Church?

Dr. Benjamin Church was a prominent member of the Boston Sons of Liberty and served as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army. He was also a traitor. In 1775, Washington’s intelligence team intercepted a coded letter written by Church containing vital information about American troop numbers.

Church was arrested, tried, and sentenced to confinement. In 1778, because of his poor health, he was banished from Massachusetts and boarded a merchant ship bound for the West Indies. The ship sailed into the Atlantic and was never seen again. Did the vessel sink, or did Church use his British connections to stage his disappearance and flee to Europe?