[Inyo-Mono]

The first thing I remember that "gripped America" was the kid who fell into the open vertical pipe. I think that was before the Kennedy assassination.

I have dim memories of that too, I was 13 when Kennedy was assassinated. I do remember reading about a kid who fell into a well in Los Angeles, in I think, 1949 and was the first live TV broadcast on KTLA channel 5 of of a disastrous situation.

[Steely Tom]

Yes! That sounds like it!