Randy Pausch
Pausch delivered his "Last Lecture", titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", at CMU on September 18, 2007. He gave an abridged version of his speech on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in October 2007. The talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", with a topic such as "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?" Before speaking, Pausch received a long standing ovation from a large crowd of over 400 colleagues and students. When he motioned them to sit down, saying, "Make me earn it", someone in the audience shouted back, "You did!"
Nik Wallenda
After talking briefly with reporters, Wallenda called his grandmother, who reportedly had been too frightened to watch the walk, in order to let her know he made it safely. In a news conference shortly thereafter, Wallenda remarked "I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now ... The impossible is not quite the impossible if you set your mind to it." He credited a combination of prayer, concentration, and preparation for his success.
On June 16, Engima Research estimated that one billion people had seen or heard about Wallenda's walk, up from an estimate of 410 million prior to the event. Niagara Falls, Ontario, mayor Jim Diodati declared that "the stars aligned perfectly" allowing the event hit its "full potential". Media representatives from Australia, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Korea, and the Middle East were on hand to cover the event. Overnight Nielsen Ratings indicated that the two-hour special was the most watched television broadcast in the United States for the night. Initial estimates put the show at a peak rating of 7.7, representing almost 13 million viewers during the last half-hour of the program. When final numbers were released, the viewership number was upped to 13.3 million for the final half-hour, and an average of 10.3 million for the entire two-hour special. Viewership peaked at around 16 million.