The most watched live TV events of all time constitute the precious few moments in which humanity has come closer together than ever before. That's the power of television, and that's the amazing thing about these live TV moments. They're like nothing else.

The royal wedding

It might come as surprise to find that by far the most viewed of the royal weddings lot was that of Charles’ and Diana’s in 1981. Six hundred thousand people lined the streets of London to watch as the newlyweds came and went from their ceremony, with a further 3,500 invited to be part of the congregation. The event was watched by 750 million people. At the time, it was the most popular television broadcast in U.K. history.

Diana’s last journey

As of this writing, no live TV event has ever confirmed an audience quite as large as that of Diana's funeral, a testament to her celebrity status across the planet. It was estimated that 2.5 billion people, just under half the world's population, watched the funeral.

The century's most daring rescue

In August 2010, a cave collapsed at the San José copper – gold mine in northern Chile. Thirty-three men, all workers at the mine, were trapped almost 2,500 feet underground, 3 miles from the entrance to the mine. Eventually, after 69 days underground, all 33 of the miners were rescued. An estimated 1 billion people watched as each miner was finally brought to the surface, cementing the rescue as one of the most impactful and remarkable news events of the 21st century.

Elvis'finest hour

In 1973, Elvis became the first solo musician to broadcast a live concert – from the Honolulu International Center – across the entire world. Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite aired in over 40 countries across Europe and Asia. It’s estimated that over one billion people worldwide watched the event, making it easily one of the most watched music events in history.