Sky News was the first European news channel when it launched on 5 February 1989. Twenty years on, it has transformed news broadcasting through its innovative coverage and the quality of its reporting and analysis. Wherever news is happening, its mission is to be "first for breaking news". We've put together some memorable moments from the first 20 years of Sky News.
To explore more of the biggest new stories from the last 20 years, visit Sky News
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Fall of the Berlin Wall
Berliners start to move freely between East and West for the first time in almost 30 years as the wall between the two halves of the city comes down.
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First Gulf War
A successful operation is launched to drive Iraqi troops out of Kuwait, although Saddam Hussein lives to fight another day.
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Mandela becomes President
Sky News is live in South Africa to see Nelson Mandela follow years of imprisonment by becoming president of his changed country.
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Fuel blockades
Blockades over fuel prices see pumps run dry across the country, and Sky News has an innovative way to keep people up to date.
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OJ Simpson trial
The trial that gripped a nation and the live moment when the verdict was delivered to a stunned courtroom.
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Jackson trial
Michael Jackson goes on trial on child molestation charges, and is acquitted. Unable to film the trial, Sky News recreates it.
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Saddam overthrown
Renewed hostilities in Iraq as allied forces march all the way into Baghdad, Saddam Hussein is removed from power and democracy is brought in.
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Death of Diana
Sky News breaks the news of Diana’s death and reports on a nation united in grief for the people’s princess.
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Blair becomes PM
Sky breaks the news of a massive shift in British politics as Tony Blair sweeps to power at the head of the Labour Party, decimating the Conservatives.
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Louise Woodward trial
An American trial which captivated the country – Sky News reports on the guilty verdict on British au pair Louise Woodward.
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Clinton and Lewinsky
Bill Clinton vehemently denies having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky – but as the evidence emerges, he is forced to change his story.
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September 11 attacks
Sky News reports on the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. A day that changed the world forever.
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Soham
Sky News broadcasts extensively from the Cambridgeshire market town of Soham as the hunt for two missing girls intensifies.
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Tsunami
Sky News broadcasts live from across Asia reporting on one of the deadliest natural disasters of recent years. The Sky News ticker gives people a chance to tell loved ones they are safe.
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July 7 attacks
Suicide bombers strike in the heart of London for the first time, with four bombs going off on the London Underground and a bus, killing 52 people.
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Kosovo
The battle over Kosovo in the Balkans sees Nato going to war for the first time in its then 50-year history. Sky is first to broadcast from the border.
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Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans disappears under water as Hurricane Katrina sweeps across the south east of America, causing massive devastation.
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Lebanon War
Sky News reports from the heart of the conflict as Israel takes action against Lebanon following the kidnapping of two soldiers.
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Obama wins
History is made in America, as Barack Obama sweeps to victory to become the first black President of the United States.
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Thatcher resigns
Margaret Thatcher’s time in 10 Downing Street comes to a sudden and dramatic end after she is challenged in a leadership contest.