Sporting events bring millions of TV viewers during national broadcasts.  While it is almost always the case that any important news shared during games are related to sports, there have been some cases where world news is exposed mid-broadcast.

On this day, December 8th, in 1980, the news of John Lennon’s death was announced during a Monday Night Football broadcast.  During the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins, announcer Howard Cosell revealed the event, calling it an “unspeakable tragedy.”

Lennon was gunned down by a fan, Mark David Chapman, in front of his New York apartment; his death was a huge blow to the music world and society as a whole.