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May 8, 2023 16 tweets 7 min read Read on X
#THREAD

Globally, what were the most-watched royal events in history?

And how does Charles's #Coronation compare?

The results might surprise you...

history101.com/27-of-the-most…
Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding: 350 million viewers.

On April 29th, 2011, Kate Middleton, who was the daughter of wealthy business owners with ties to the crown, became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Image
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer wedding: 1 billion viewers.

On July 29, 1981, Lady Di went from nursery teacher’s assistant to the Princess of Wales. Image
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding: 1.9 billion viewers.

On May 19th, 2018, Meghan Markle, who had previously worked as an actress, blogger, charity ambassador, and advocate, (briefly) became HRH the Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel. Image
Funeral of Lady Di: 2 billion viewers.

Di’s funeral took place at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 6th, 1997. A hearse transported her coffin to Kensington Palace days before the funeral took place. Although this wasn’t the formal procession, thousands of onlookers lined the streets. Image
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: 2.5 billion people.

The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September. Image
King Charles III #coronation - 400 million.

UK viewing peaked at 20.4 million as Charles was crowned (compared to the 29 million who watched the Queen's funeral, & the 32 million who watched Di's funeral - second only to the 32.3 million who watched the 1966 World Cup Final). 🇬🇧 Image
Only ten global events (including Di's & Queen's funeral) have been watched by 2 billion+ viewers.

Ali vs Larry Holmes: 2 billion viewers.

On Oct. 2nd, 1980, Ali took to the ring suffering slurred speech & decreased motor function. After 10 rounds his manager ended the fight. Image
Michael Jackson Memorial Service: 2 billion viewers.

A public memorial service for Michael Jackson was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, twelve days after his death. Image
Live 8: 2 billion viewers

Live 8 was a benefit concert to raise money to try & end poverty worldwide. The G8 countries & South Africa performed simultaneous concerts on July 2nd, 2005 - the 20th anniversary of Live Aid (estimated TV audience of 1.9 billion). Image
9/11 terror attacks: 2 billion viewers.

Media coverage started when American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Within one hour and fifteen minutes, three more planes crashed in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Image
1998 World Cup Final, France vs. Brazil: 2 billion viewers.

France's 3-0 win was their first World Cup title. Zidane was named the man of the match, while Ronaldo was awarded the Golden Ball as FIFA's outstanding player of the tournament. Image
Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks II: 2 billion viewers.

September 15th, 1978, marked the second time Ali and Spinks met in the ring. Ali was 36, but dominated the fight and defeated Spinks by unanimous decision, avenging his split decision loss to Spinks from seven months prior. Image
2002 World Cup Final, Brazil vs. Germany: 2 billion viewers

On June 30, 2002, Brazil played Germany in a world cup final for first time. Two second-half goals by the original Ronaldo led to a 2-0 victory. Image
2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony: 3 billion viewers.

The number “8” is a big deal in China, and it’s no accident that the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony took place on Aug. 8, 2008 (8/8/08).

On that day, 15,000 performers put on a show that seemed to defy belief. Image
1996 Atlanta Olympics Opening Ceremony: 3.6 billion viewers!

On July 19, 1996, Ali lit the Olympic torch that started the games, at the most watched event in TV history.

(The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics attracted a global TV audience of 900 million people). Image

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More from @docrussjackson

Jul 21
#THREAD

Americans who care about democracy, justice & the planet have to come together to prevent another Trump administration, which would attempt to introduce the regressive, antidemocratic & dangerously irresponsible policies laid out in the Heritage Foundation's #Project2025
Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the nominee.

Before outlining some essential information about Harris, I'll quickly summarise the process be for choosing the Democratic nominee as described by Newsweek.

newsweek.com/what-happens-n…
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison said that the party would "undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November."
Read 60 tweets
Jul 21
#THREAD

Professor of History & Public Policy at Duke University & author of the terrifying award-winning bestseller 'Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America', Nancy MacLean, recently discussed #Project2025.

Maybe read this 👇 first.
Image
Law professor & social critic Kimberlé Crenshaw interviewed MacLean about what the prescriptions in the Heritage Foundation’s #Project2025 mean for parents, public schools, & for multiracial democracy.

This👇article is reproduced in thread-form below.

washingtonspectator.org/heritage-found…
CRENSHAW: These wars on curricula are not new, of course; they go far back in our history. What folks might not know is that the Heritage Foundation, the main convenor of #Project2025, cut its teeth on curricular wars in the 1970s.

Read 70 tweets
Jul 20
#THREAD

Timothy Snyder is an American historian specializing in the history of Central & Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, & the #Holocaust.

He knows all about what authoritarian populist demagogues are capable of.

It's paywalled, so reproduced below.

ft.com/content/a7eea0…
'The Republican blueprint for power contains the seeds of its own demise. It is not too late to stop the descent of the American political order into tyranny, oligarchy or anarchy', writes Timothy Snyder.

#Project2025 explainer:

This week, Republicans reminded us of the alternatives to republics, hosting a convention that showed how the American one could be brought down.

They summoned up three variants of collapse: tyranny, oligarchy, and anarchy. Image
Read 24 tweets
Jul 20
#THREAD

Many people in Britain may never have even heard of US Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.

Despite the assasination attempt, opinion polls suggest it will be another close Presidential election.

Could @SecretaryPete replace Biden?

Who is Pete Buttigieg?
Pete Buttigieg is an American politician and former naval officer who is serving as the 19th United States secretary of transportation. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 32nd mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020, which earned him the nickname "Mayor Pete".
Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Oxford, attending the latter on a Rhodes Scholarship. From 2009 to 2017, he was an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant.
Read 48 tweets
Jul 16
#THREAD

Hitler survived assassination attempts. We know what that led to. Reagan & Thatcher survived assassination attempts. They gave us neoliberalism. Trump survived. He's chosen JD Vance as his running mate. If elected, America will become a dystopian free-market kleptocracy. Image
The 0.01% is gearing up to all but destroy US democracy.

Leading the charge & donating tens of millions of dollars to Trump's campaign are Silicon Valley's libertarian Tech billionaire extremists, led by Peter Thiel & Elon Musk - two of the most dangerous men on earth. Image
What's unfolding right now is like something from a dystopian sci-fi novel.

Except it's not fiction - it's real.

And it's a fucking nightmare assault on truth, fairness, equality, minorities, women's right, the environment & humanity, which democracy will struggle to survive. Image
Read 93 tweets
Jul 15
#THREAD

"What first made Reform UK's white, privately educated multimillionaires Farage, Tice & Rupert Lowe oppose DEI?"

'Diversity Equity Inclusion' is a framework which promotes the fair treatment & full participation of ALL people, but particularly underrepresented groups... Image
Many people know that the term ‘DEI’ is being weaponized as a racist dog whistle (a coded, deniable bit of language that allows people to communicate ideas that would be too offensive if done explicitly).

Few ideas in business are as misunderstood as DEI.
global.oup.com/academic/produ…
There’s nothing new about using racist dog whistles. But the way DEI is used to play into racist sentiments is uniquely powerful, & may well be much more potent than other culture war terms.

press.princeton.edu/books/paperbac…
Read 53 tweets

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