September 11 and Princess Diana’s death have topped a poll of the biggest news events of the past 50 years, with five New Zealand events also making the top 10.
Thousands of votes were cast in the online TVNZ poll ahead of a television special, 50 Years of Television News, broadcast tonight on TV One.
Voters were given a selection of 30 major news events since 1960 and asked to vote for their top 10.
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States came out at number one, followed by Princess Diana’s 1997 death.
The two events were “runaway leaders”, TVNZ said.
Another three international events made the top 10 – the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing (third), US President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination (seventh), and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 (eighth).
Five events of special interest to New Zealanders rounded out the top 10 – the 1968 Wahine Disaster (fourth), the 1979 Erebus Disaster (fifth), the 1995 America’s Cup win (sixth), the 1981 Springbok Tour (ninth) and the Aramoana Massacre in 1990 (10th).
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