Since replacing radio as the most popular mass medium in the 1950s, television has played an integral role in modern life. Both reflecting and shaping cultural values, television has often been lauded for its ability to create a common experience for all its viewers.
Major world events such as the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations in the 1960s, the Challenger shuttle explosion in 1986, the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 have all played out on television, uniting millions of people in shared tragedy and hope.
