On the NBC morning news program '' Today'', the designation "special edition" often applies to instances wherein one or both hosts anchor the program from a location other than Studio 1-A, or in the event of significant news developments. The edition also can start before the usual 7am ET start time in all time zones or go past the usual endtime of 11am ET. The expansion of an episode is not at all unusual, usually for planned long-duration news events such as presidential inaugurations or elections. The first such expanded edition came on January 20, 1953, with the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Breaking news can also extend the show's hours: during the 7 July 2005 London bombings and Friday following the Boston Marathon bombing, ''Today'' remained on the air for six hours, from 7am to 1pm EDT. Most special editions are introduced as ''"From NBC News, this is a special edition of'' Today". These were just some of the special editions of ''Today'' that were broadcast.

1950s

1952

February

When news of the death of Britain’s

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

reached New York in the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 6, 1952, the plan for that morning’s show was thrown out and the program instead covered the monarch’s death. News anchor Jim Fleming helped lead coverage that day, and live analysis was provided by NBC foreign correspondent

H.V. Kaltenborn Hans von Kaltenborn (July 9, 1878June 14, 1965), generally known as H. V. Kaltenborn, was an American radio commentator. He was heard regularly on the radio for over 30 years, beginning with CBS in 1928. He was known for his highly precise d ...

March

In part to bring the new show to a wider audience, NBC partnered with Time Magazine to produce a special primetime edition of ''Today''. Dave Garroway, Jack Lescoulie and Jim Fleming anchored the half-hour edition, which aired at 9pm ET on Monday, March 31, 1952.

July

''Today'' staff covered the

1952 Republican National Convention The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois from July 7 to 11, 1952, and nominated the popular general and war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower of New York, nicknamed "Ike," for president and ...

in Chicago from July 7–11, 1952. News anchor Jim Fleming traveled to Chicago, and Dave Garroway and Jack Lescoulie remained in New York. To bring the event to the nation, 55 microphones were placed around the convention hall, along with eight cameras and miles of coaxial cables. Ten cities were added to the NBC network for the event, mainly west of the Mississippi River, bringing the estimated audience to some 70,000,000 Americans. The same procedure was followed for the Democratic National Convention, held in the same building July 21–26.

1953

January

January 20, 1953: ''Todays first presidential inauguration coverage—the first inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Dave Garroway and

Jack Lescoulie Jack Lescoulie (November 17, 1912 – July 22, 1987) was a radio and television announcer and host, notably on NBC's ''Today'' during the 1950s and 1960s; a newspaper source lists his date of birth as May 17, 1912. Lescoulie was also known for h ...

anchored from New York. News anchor Jim Fleming broadcast from Washington for the day's coverage. NBC correspondent

Merrill Mueller Merrill Mueller (January 27, 1916 – November 30, 1980) was an American journalist whose reporting included breaking the story of Hitler's invasion of Poland. He worked for numerous news agencies including the Independent News Service and NBC. W ...

demonstrated the network's first portable Vidicon television camera, employed for the first time that day.

March

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died on March 5, 1953. The time difference between Moscow and New York meant ''Today'' would get first crack at the story. The hastily assembled show that morning included analysis from ''Today'' news anchor Jim Fleming, who once worked in NBC's Moscow bureau, and veteran NBC foreign correspondent Hans von Kaltenborn. Alexander Kerensky, a former leader of the Russian Provisional Government, was awakened and brought to the RCA Exhibition Hall to add his commentary on Stalin's death. Twelve days later, March 17, 1953, Garroway hosted the show from the Nevada Test Site to cover an atomic bomb test. The nuclear detonation was carried live on ''Today'' at 8:20am ET (5:20am local time).

June

Tuesday morning, June 2, 1953: ''Today'' covered the coronation of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, in collaboration with the BBC. The BBC provided live audio of the ceremonies. Still pictures taken from television screens in London were faxed to the RCA Exhibition Hall studio, where Garroway would show them to viewers. Multiple correspondents from both NBC and the BBC offered commentary and analysis, both in-studio and on location at Westminster Abbey. Coronation coverage began at 5am EDT and concluded at 9am EDT.

1955

January

The show originated from Miami Beach the week of January 10–14, 1955. The trip was a coordinated effort among ''Today'', ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen'' and ''Home'' with Arlene Francis. A blurb in the ''New York Times'' promised "Seminole Indians wrestling eight-foot alligators, an underwater sound interview and a Dixieland band."

October

''Today'' originated from Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, October 18, and Wednesday, October 19.

1956

April

''Today'' broadcast from Los Angeles the week of April 30 – May 4, 1956, in part to inaugurate cross-country NBC News service. In an unusual step Chet Huntley, who helped launch the '' Huntley-Brinkley Report'' later that year, anchored alongside Dave Garroway for the week.

July

Thursday, July 26, 1956: Coverage of the overnight sinking of the Italian ocean liner , which foundered off the coast of Massachusetts. Home-movie film of the aftermath, shot by a passenger, was secured by a ''Today'' producer and broadcast on the show. Reporters Paul Cunningham and Dick McCutcheon provided analysis of the collision and subsequent sinking.

August

Monday, August 20, 1956, Garroway and Lescoulie hosted the show from San Francisco, part of NBC's coverage of the

1956 Democratic National Convention The 1956 Democratic National Convention nominated former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois for president and Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee for vice president. It was held in the International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicag ...

October

''Today'' originated from New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 19, 1956. Segments included a performance from the Al Hirt Dixieland Jazz Band.

1957

September

September 2–6, 1957, ''Today'' originated from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the first time an American network program broadcast from outside the United States for an extended period.

October

The entire first hour of the Wednesday, October 2, 1957, edition was dedicated to a discussion of racial issues in America, moderated by Dave Garroway. Guests included American Civil Liberties Union Chairman Ernest Angel, Reverend Theodore Braun, Mississippi Senator

James Eastland James Oliver Eastland (November 28, 1904 February 19, 1986) was an American attorney, plantation owner, and politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served in the United States Senate in 1941 and again from 1943 until his resignation on Decem ...

, and National Urban League director Lester Granger. The hour mixed live discussion and commentary with taped reports from northern and southern cities.

1959

April

The week of April 27–May 1, 1959, ''Today'' originated from Paris, France. Garroway and company spent a week in the French capital, focusing on the art, culture, history and politics of France. Brigitte Bardot and Charles Van Doren appeared on the show. In the days before satellite communications, the Paris shows could not be broadcast live in the United States. Each day's edition was filmed in advance, developed, edited and flown back to New York to be shown the next morning. Both the Paris 1959 and Rome 1960 remotes were broadcast in this manner.

September

The Tuesday, September 15, 1959, edition of the show was dedicated to an in-depth examination of the life and politics of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, tied to Krushchev's visit to the United States that week. Guests included reporters

Martin Agronsky Martin Zama Agronsky ( ; January 12, 1915 – July 25, 1999), also known as Martin Agronski, was an American journalist, political analyst, and television host. He began his career in 1936 working under his uncle, Gershon Agron, at the ''Palest ...

and Harrison Salisbury, along with George Allen, then-director of the U.S. Office of Information.

1960s

1960

January

The eighth anniversary show, broadcast on Thursday, January 14, 1960, was taped entirely in Washington, D.C. Garroway and company visited the Library of Congress. Garroway interviewed then-Senator Everett Dirksen and

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Sam Rayburn Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (January 6, 1882 – November 16, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 43rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time ...

. The cast toured the Supreme Court building and the White House, and Garroway delivered a commentary on the history of the White House while standing in front of the building.

April

The week of April 11–15, 1960, ''Today'' traveled to Rome, Italy. The Spanish Steps and the Coliseum were toured. Garroway interviewed actor

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

, and examples of the culture and society of Italy were demonstrated. The Vatican was toured on Good Friday, April 16. As with the Paris remote the previous year, the Rome segments featuring Garroway and Jack Lescoulie were pre-taped and sent to New York to be spliced with live news updates anchored by Frank Blair and Florence Henderson.

1962

April

Host John Chancellor, along with Frank Blair, anchored the show from the

1962 World's Fair The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a world's fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.Seattle, Washington.

1963

May

Thursday morning, May 16, 1963, ''Today'' went on the air at 1:15am Eastern Time to provide overnight coverage of

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

astronaut Gordon Cooper's flight. The 22-orbit mission marked the end of Project Mercury.

November

On November 23, 1963, ''Today'' aired a special three-hour Saturday program recapping the

assassination of President John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle wi ...

the previous day. Host Hugh Downs,

, and newsreader Frank Blair anchored the broadcast. In the opening minutes, Downs noted that the atmosphere that day "was very different" from what he had ever previously experienced. Lescoulie recalled how traffic in New York City after the assassination was at a standstill, and that telephone circuits were jammed. Downs added that as the hours passed, the country's grief would turn into a "more historic kind of grief." Man-on-the-street reports were gathered by

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

Sander Vanocur Sander Vanocur (; born Alexander Vinocur, January 8, 1928 – September 16, 2019)
Retr ...

reported from the White House, with

in Washington and Pauline Frederick at the United Nations in New York. The Monday, November 25, 1963, edition covered President Kennedy's funeral. Downs anchored from an NBC Washington studio, while Blair, Walters, and Vanocur in Washington provided standup reports. For Walters, this marked the first time she had reported on a national event, as she reported from outside the United States Capitol, where Kennedy lay in state, saying, "These are the honor guards who have been guarding the casket of President Kennedy."

1964

July

The week of Monday, July 6, through Thursday, July 9, 1964, ''Today'' broadcast from the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. Downs, Blair, Lescoulie and Maureen O'Sullivan hosted the show from the lobby of the Hilton Hotel.

1965

February

The morning of February 22, 1965, saw a special expanded edition covering the assassination of Malcolm X the day before. ''Today'' ran coverage until 11am.

May

Following the launch of NASA's Early Bird satellite on May 3, 1965, ''Today'' cast and crew traveled to Europe for a special live broadcast of the show. Host Hugh Downs was stationed at Westminster Abbey in London, Barbara Walters was in Paris, Jack Lescoulie was in Amsterdam, and Frank Blair reported from the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington. Pope Paul VI read a message live from the Vatican, marveling at the communications now possible between nations.

1967

March

A television news strike in the spring of 1967 forced ''Today'' into an awkward position: either go on the air hostless, as Hugh Downs joined the picket line, or play back a rerun of a previous edition. The network went with the latter solution on Monday, March 29, 1967. Viewers instead saw a rerun of the July 4, 1966, edition of the program.

1968

April

The April 5, 1968, edition of the program covered the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the day before, ''Today'' expanded until 10am.

June

Thursday morning, June 6, 1968, saw a special edition continuing NBC's overnight coverage of the

assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan shortly after midnight at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead at 1:44 a.m. PDT the following day. Kennedy was a senator from New York and a candidate in ...

. ''Today'' coverage ran until 10am EDT.

1969

July

Hugh Downs traveled to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to anchor ''Today'' on Wednesday, July 16, 1969, the day ''Apollo 11'' lifted off on its journey to the Moon. Frank Blair anchored newscasts from an NBC News space-themed studio in New York.

1970s

1971

October

Friday, October 15, 1971, saw an expanded edition of the show, broadcast live from Persepolis, Iran. The show commemorated the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire. Frank McGee remained in New York, while Walters anchored from Persepolis. The program ran until 10am EDT.

1973

January

On Wednesday, January 24, 1973, ''Today'' expanded to 3 hours and broadcast from Washington as McGee and Barbara Walters reported on the latest developments in the cease-fire agreement to end the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, as President Richard Nixon gave a speech to reach the agreement the night before. They also reported on the preparations in Washington for the

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

of former president Lyndon B. Johnson, whose body was flown to Washington from Texas that morning. On Thursday, January 25, 1973, ''Today'', like the day before, expanded to 3 hours and broadcast from Washington in order to allow McGee and Walters to anchor live coverage of the state funeral for President Johnson. At 10am, EST, the ''Today'' portion of coverage ended, with newscaster David Brinkley in Washington taking over from that point until the conclusion of the ceremony and analysis. McGee said before the handover, "This concludes the ''Today'' program's special extended coverage of the final ceremonies and funeral services for former president Lyndon Johnson. NBC News will continue its full coverage of the funeral with David Brinkley commenting after this brief pause for station identification."

1974

August

On Friday morning, August 9, 1974, ''Today'' was expanded to five hours and broadcast from Washington to cover the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Walters and Hartz co-anchor, with NBC News Washington correspondent

Douglas Kiker Douglas Kiker (January 7, 1930 – August 14, 1991) was an American author and newspaper and television reporter whose career spanned three decades. Kiker was born in Griffin, Georgia. He first gained national attention for his book "The Sou ...

providing live commentary during Nixon's final speech from the White House and the family's departure via helicopter to California that morning. As with the funeral for President Johnson a year and a half earlier, the main division of NBC News took over coverage from ''Today'' about thirty minutes or so before

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

took the oath of office, with ''Nightly News'' anchor John Chancellor, Kiker, then-correspondent

Ron Nessen Ronald Harold Nessen (born May 25, 1934) is an American government official who served as the 15th White House Press Secretary for President Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977. He replaced Jerald terHorst, who resigned in the wake of President Ford's ...

Tom Pettit William Thomas Pettit (April 23, 1931 – December 22, 1995) was an American journalist, who was a television news correspondent for NBC from the 1960s through 1995. During most of that period, he filed reports for ''NBC Nightly News'' (as well ...

, Tom Brokaw, John Cochran, and Catherine Mackin commenting.

1975

March

Friday, March 14, 1975, marked the end of Frank Blair's 23-year tenure as ''Todays newsreader. A special farewell edition featured visits from Jack Lescoulie, John Chancellor, Edwin Newman and former "Women's Editor" Estelle Parsons.

July

A special three-hour edition on Tuesday, July 15, 1975, covered the launch of Soyuz 19. The Soyuz launch, a part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, was the first Soviet launch ever telecast, as well as a first for American television.

Jim Hartz James Leroy Hartz (February 3, 1940 – April 17, 2022) was an American television personality, columnist and reporter during the mid- and late-1970s. At age 24, he was the youngest correspondent NBC had ever hired. Hartz became best known to a nat ...

and Barbara Walters anchored.

1976

Throughout 1975 and 1976, ''Today'' anchors Jim Hartz and Barbara Walters traveled the country to celebrate the American Bicentennial. Each Friday morning, one or both hosts would anchor the show from one of the fifty states.

July

NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft landed on Mars on Tuesday, July 20, 1976. ''Today'' mounted a three-hour special chronicling the landing.

Lloyd Dobyns Lloyd Allen Dobyns Jr. (March 12, 1936 – August 22, 2021) was an American news reporter and correspondent. He worked for NBC from 1969 to 1986, hosting '' Weekend'', '' NBC News Overnight'', and ''Monitor''. Early life Dobyns was born in New ...

and Gene Shalit substituted for Hartz. NBC's Roy Neal reported from ''Viking'' mission control at

JPL The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

in Pasadena, California. ''Viking 1'' touchdown took place within the show's first hour in the Eastern Time Zone. The first transmitted pictures began to trickle in during the 8am EDT hour. Dobyns, Neal and Shalit continued coverage into the 9am hour as more pictures and data streamed in.

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...

and

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

were in attendance at JPL, and Neal conducted a live interview with both men shortly after touchdown.

1980s

1980

The show airing on December 9, 1980, was a special edition from New York as co-anchors Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley covered the assassination of singer-songwriter and Beatle John Lennon the night before. NBC News correspondents reported on Lennon's assassination and public reaction toward the shooting.

1981

March

The show airing on March 31, 1981, was broadcast from Washington, as part of its coverage of the assassination attempt on President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

the day before. Brokaw and Pauley anchored.

May

On May 14, 1981, Tom Brokaw was stationed in St. Peter's Square in Rome to cover the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II the previous day.

July

On July 29, 1981, the program originated from London with Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley commenting on the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Additional analysis was provided by Tina Brown.

October

Just before the 7:24am station break on the morning of October 6, 1981, word reached NBC of the shooting of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. Tom Brokaw announced what was known at the time, then threw to the commercial break. Upon returning at 7:30, Brokaw began what turned out to be seven-and-a-half hours of coverage—a ''Today'' record. NBC's Cairo bureau chief Art Kent provided live telephone reports, as Egyptian television stations ceased broadcast in the chaotic aftermath of the shooting. In studio and over the phone, Brokaw interviewed experts on the Middle East, foreign policy and international relations until 3pm, Eastern Time. ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor John Chancellor anchored with Brokaw.

1985

May

The week of May 20 to 24, 1985, Gumbel, Pauley and Scott took the show on the rails. The "Today Express" was a specially outfitted passenger train that took the cast and crew to special broadcasts in Houston, New Orleans, Memphis,

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

and Cincinnati.

August

August 19, 1985, brought ''Today'' back to its streetside roots with "Today at Night," a special primetime broadcast from the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center. Guests for the nighttime broadcast included then-House Speaker

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...

, Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas of '' Miami Vice''. Infamously, this primetime special was interrupted by

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

who, during the live filming of the show, announced over a bullhorn that he was the president of NBC News and that he was not wearing pants. The incident aired on that night's episode of ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'' and sparked a feud between Gumbel and Letterman.

1986

January

On Wednesday morning, January 29, 1986, a special edition covered the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster the previous day. Former astronauts David Scott and Alan Bean, former Flight Director

Gerry Griffin Gerald D. Griffin (born December 25, 1934) is an American aeronautical engineer and former NASA official, who served as a flight director during the Apollo program and director of Johnson Space Center, succeeding Chris Kraft in 1982. When Gr ...

and Senators Jake Garn and Pete Domenici were among the guests providing analysis and commentary on the tragedy.

May

On the week of May 19, 1986, the special week-long 2-hour edition was live from the SS Norway. Aboard was the hosts Bryant Gumbel and

Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the age ...

, and the man with the weather that time was Willard Scott. During that week, the SS Norway traveled from the Carolinas to South Florida.

July

On Wednesday Morning, July 23, 1986, a special edition covered the Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London. With hosts Bryant Gumbel and

from their booth little far away from

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

1989

May

''Today'' spent the third week of May 1989, traveling down the West Coast. Gumbel, Pauley and Scott kicked off the trip in Seattle on Monday, May 22. Portland hosted the cast on Tuesday, May 23. Segments profiled the logging industry and deserts of eastern Oregon. The Wednesday, May 24, show originated from San Francisco and featured discussions about AIDS research and California cuisine. Thursday, May 25, the cast traveled to Los Angeles, and the week concluded with a stop in San Diego on Friday, May 26.

October

The October 18, 1989, edition covered the

Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...

the day before. The show ran until noon Eastern Time. Gumbel, Pauley and Norville anchored from Chicago (where they had planned to originally do a special celebratory edition), with reports done by Bob Jamieson and Don Oliver in San Francisco, and George Lewis in Oakland. Jim Miklasewski and Bob Hager covered disaster response from Washington.

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...

commentators Bob Costas and Jimmy Cefalo discussed the effect the temblor would have on the

1989 World Series The 1989 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1989 season. The 86th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the Nat ...

1990s

1994

January

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck southern California on Monday morning, January 17, 1994. ''Today'' was in progress; when news reached the studio at 7:47am EST, Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric broke format and interviewed witnesses via phone. When the sun rose on the West Coast, allowing pictures of the damage to come in, they switched to a mix of audio and video reports from survivors, emergency respondents and officials. ''Today'' remained on until noon Eastern Time.

May

On the day following the

death of Ayrton Senna On 1 May 1994, Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna was killed after his car crashed into a concrete barrier while he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy. The previous day, Austrian driv ...

, a special edition of Today was held to cover the latest developments. Couric and Gumbel had coverage from New York. NBC had permission from the

Globo Globo (meaning ''globe'' in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian) may refer to: *Grupo Globo, a Brazilian conglomerate primarily in mass media **TV Globo, a television network ***GloboNews, a television 24-hour news channel ***Globo (Portuguese TV cha ...

television network and Eduardo Souto Neto to use the Victory's Theme in a montage with the best moments of Senna at the end of the show. A special edition of Today was held to cover the funeral of

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

. Couric and Gumbel had coverage from New York. The coverage lasted four hours before switching to NBC News Special Reports.

June

NBC News devoted significant resources to covering the 50th anniversary of the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

invasion. Two special editions of ''Today'' were produced that weekend. The first, on Friday, June 3, 1994, featured Bryant Gumbel in Normandy, with Katie Couric anchoring in New York. The second took place on D-Day itself, Monday, June 6. Gumbel and Couric anchored five hours of coverage from Omaha Beach, and were joined for most of the day by ''Nightly News'' anchor Tom Brokaw.

1995

April

The show airing on April 20, 1995, was a special edition covering the Oklahoma City bombing the previous day. Gumbel reported from Oklahoma City.

1996

July

The show airing on July 18, 1996, was a special edition covering the TWA Flight 800 crash the night before.

1997

January

The show airing on January 3, 1997, was a celebration of Bryant Gumbel's run on the program, the day before the 15th anniversary of his debut on January 4, 1982.

April

On April 7, 1997, the show was broadcast live from Las Vegas with Katie, Matt and Al live on the trip and Ann live from KVBC-TV (now KSNV), the NBC affiliate in Las Vegas.

September

On September 6, 1997, the show was expanded in order to cover the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Matt Lauer anchored from Studio 1A in New York, while Couric and Tom Brokaw anchored from Westminster Abbey in Britain.

1999

The show airing on April 21, 1999, covered the

Columbine High School Massacre On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...

with Lauer in New York, and Couric on-site in Littleton, Colorado.

2000s

2000

November

The show airing on November 8, 2000, the morning after the contested

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

in the United States, was the most-watched edition of the program in its history, with 12 million viewers, double the normal audience, tuning in.

2001

September

When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, ''Today'' was on the air. Lauer interrupted an interview with author Richard Hack and announced that there was a breaking story in progress at 8:52am EDT, but threw to a commercial break when pictures were not available. ''Today'' returned indefinitely at 8:53am ET with Lauer, Couric, and Roker commenting on the events from the couch area of Studio 1A, initially reported as an accident. When

United Flight 175 United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The flight's scheduled plan was from Logan International Airport, in Boston, M ...

crashed at 9:02:58am, it was seen live on the program. Katie Couric handled the initial reports of the attack on The Pentagon as Lauer joined Tom Brokaw at the anchor desk. The broadcast restarted at 10:30am EDT, moments after the collapse of One World Trade Center. Couric, Lauer and Brokaw anchored live coverage under the production of the ''Today'' team until 1pm EDT when Brokaw anchored an ''NBC News Special Report'' from NBC News Headquarters in

30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...

. NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell wrote in her memoir '' Talking Back'' that her husband, then Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, received his first briefing on the attacks when she summarized events for Brokaw on the air with her cell phone in her lap. Couric and Lauer anchored a special report from 5pm until 6:30pm so Brokaw could prepare for a special, expanded edition of '' NBC Nightly News'', airing from the observation deck atop

, and continuing NBC News live coverage throughout the evening. ''Today'' expanded to six hours daily for the remainder of the week that followed the attacks. Beginning with the fifth anniversary of the attacks, on September 11, 2006, MSNBC replayed ''Today'' as it covered the attacks.

2002

January

The show airing on January 14, 2002, was a three-hour long celebration of the show's 50th anniversary. It was branded "A very special edition of 'Today.'" Anniversary shows often abandon typical format (outside of top-of-the-hour news updates) in favor of clips of old shows, interviews with previous hosts and other special segments tied to the occasion. For this show, the original opening music and intro to the show from 1952 was used, and several retrospectives were aired from former anchors, guests, producers and viewers.

September

On September 11, 2002, the show was extended to six hours (broadcasting until 1pm Eastern Time) for a special edition covering the anniversary of the terrorist attacks from one year earlier.

2003

April

On April 9, 2003 ''Today'' aired live until noon EST when U.S. troops entered Baghdad. Lester Holt filled in for Lauer, hosting alongside Katie Couric. ''Today'' coverage was restarted as an ''NBC News Special Report'' at 9:12am EST and Tom Brokaw joined Couric in Studio 1A until taking over the coverage from NBC News headquarters in

at noon.

2005

April

When Pope John Paul II died on Saturday, April 2, 2005, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer anchored the weekend editions of the ''Today'' show. Lauer anchored from the Vatican with Campbell Brown offering reports by his side. On the day of the Pope's death, Couric anchored a special report on a Vatican statement updating the Pope's dire condition and Lauer reported for the bulletin anchored by

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...

when the Pope was officially dead. He returned to New York as Couric traveled to Vatican City to co-anchor coverage of the Pope's funeral with Williams.

July

''Today'' aired a live, six-hour special edition similar to that of the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

after the London transit bombings on July 7, 2005. The show was anchored by Couric, along with Lester Holt substituting for a vacationing Matt Lauer. The program began at 7am EDT as usual, but then went live in all time zones until 1pm EDT, instead of the usual tape-delay format. Frequent updates from NBC correspondents Ron Allen and James Hattori in London were augmented by stateside analysis from terrorism expert

Roger Cressey Roger W. Cressey (born August 9, 1965) is a cyber security and counter-terrorism expert and served in senior positions under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He is a former member of the United States National Security Council staff and ...

. ''Today'' broke format multiple times for ''NBC News Special Report''s covering remarks from both President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, at the G8 Summit in

Gleneagles, Scotland Glen Eagles (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann na h-Eaglais/Gleann Eagas) is a glen which connects with Glen Devon to form a pass through the Ochil Hills of Perth and Kinross in Scotland. (The spelling as two words, 'Glen Eagles', is as shown on UK O ...

. The next day's show was labeled a special edition. Campbell Brown's large presence during that day's coverage, in addition to her presence on the show during the death of Pope John Paul II fueled speculation she would replace Couric in the near future.

August

''Weekend Today'' offered an expanded edition on Saturday morning, August 27, as

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

bore down on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Campbell Brown and David Gregory anchored from New York, and the show ran for an additional hour, until 10am EDT. The ''Today'' staff produced a six-hour edition of the show on Monday, August 29, as Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast. Brian Williams phoned in reports from the Louisiana Superdome and correspondents on the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts filed spotty phone and video reports. Shows in the storm's wake often carried the "special edition" branding, as Katie Couric, Campbell Brown, Lester Holt and others were stationed along the Gulf Coast instead of Studio 1-A. Remarks from President Bush and other emergency officials were often integrated into ''Todays coverage cycle.

2006

May

The show airing on May 31, 2006, was a three-hour long celebration of Katie Couric's run on the show.

July

On July 12, 2006, Matt Lauer traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, airing his interview with Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

August

On August 10, 2006, in response to the foiled terror plot in London, ''Today'' broadcast live in its timeslot for all time zones, and Matt Lauer anchored three ''NBC News Special Report''s live in all time zones, at 6am EDT to report on the details of the story, at 8am EDT when U.S. counter-terrorism officials held a news conference at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and at 11:45am EDT when President Bush made remarks upon landing in Wisconsin from just outside

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...

. On Tuesday, August 29, 2006, ''Today'' marked the first anniversary of

's landfall. Lauer and Curry anchored from New York, while Brian Williams, Campbell Brown, Lester Holt and many other NBC News correspondents reported from the Gulf Coast. The show featured interviews with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown, and first lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

September

Another long-format special edition was aired on Monday, September 11, 2006, to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2001 attacks. Matt Lauer anchored the coverage from Ground Zero and was joined by Tom Brokaw and Campbell Brown. Ann Curry was in the temporary outdoor studio in Rockefeller Plaza. Lester Holt reported from the Pentagon and Natalie Morales was stationed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. For viewers in the New York Market, WNBC broke away from ''Today'' at 8:25am EDT to give detailed coverage of the observance at Ground Zero, anchored by the team at ''

Today in New York ''Today in New York'' (displayed on-air as "''Today in NY''") is a local morning news and entertainment television program airing on WNBC, an NBC owned-and-operated television station in New York City. The program is broadcast each weekday mo ...

'', as they have done every year.

2007

January

The show airing on January 2, 2007, covered the funeral of former president Gerald Ford with Meredith Vieira in Studio 1A and Matt Lauer in Washington. The show was cut to two hours, allowing

to assume coverage at 9am EST. On January 17, 2007, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, and Al Roker Broadcast this program from Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

April

The April 17 and 18, 2007, editions of the show with Lauer and Vieira reporting live on the Virginia Tech massacre. Tuesday's show ran four hours, until 11am EDT.

November

From November 5 to 9, 2007, ''Today'' launched a miniseries of unprecedented broadcasts. "Today Goes to the Ends of the Earth" was a broadcast in which Lauer reported from the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

, Roker reported from the

Equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

and Curry reported from

McMurdo Station McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the Unit ...

in Antarctica and on November 9 from the South Pole via videotape. Vieira tied the segments together, anchoring live from Studio 1-A. The effort was designed to highlight the causes and effects of global warming as a part of NBC Universal's "Green is Universal" campaign. On Tuesday, November 20, 2007, a split edition billed as a "Thanksgiving Travel Countdown" placed Vieira at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, the nation's busiest. Other correspondents reported Chicago O'Hare International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. Lauer remained in Studio 1-A.

2008

January

On Tuesday, January 29, 2008, a special split edition placed Vieira outside Buckingham Palace. She had an exclusive interview with

The Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was D ...

featuring updates on the British Royal Family.

February

On February 4 and 5, 2008, ''Today'' covered the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses. Andrea Mitchell covered the Democratic side, and David Gregory covered the Republican side. Lauer and Vieira remained in New York. On February 12, 2008, Meredith Vieira and Al Roker were both live at Georgia Aquarium. They reported on information covering the aquarium and had reports on the fish and, how the crew feeds them and keep them healthy. This special edition was a split edition with Matt Lauer live in Studio 1-A. On February 21 and 22, 2008, the cast and crew aired a two-day special called "Today Takes a Winter Break". On the first day, Lauer, Vieira, Curry and Roker originated from

Sugarbush Resort Sugarbush Resort is a ski resort located in the Mad River valley in Warren, Vermont, owned by Alterra Mountain Company. It is one of the largest ski resorts in New England. The resort encompasses more than 4000 acres (16 km²) total, 484 ...

in Warren, Vermont. On the second day, the anchors broadcast from

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard. This area was the fi ...

in Miami, Florida.

April

In April 2008, special editions of ''Today'' featured Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States, billed as "The Pope Visits the USA." On Tuesday, April 16, the pontiff's 81st birthday, Matt Lauer hosted the show from the south lawn of the White House to cover the pope's meeting with President

. On Saturday, April 19, Benedict's third anniversary as pope, ''Weekend Today'' anchors Lester Holt and

Jenna Wolfe Jenna Wolfe (born Jennifer Wolfeld; February 26, 1974) is a Jamaican-American journalist and personal trainer. From 2007 to 2014, she was a correspondent for NBC's ''Today'', and Sunday co-anchor from 2007 to 2012 and news anchor for ''Weekend To ...

moved outside to Rockefeller Center to cover the first papal mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City for the first half-hour. On Monday, April 21, 2008, First Lady

hosted the third hour of the program. It marked the first time such an event occurred on ''Today''.

May

On Friday, May 10, 2008, ''Weekend Today'' covered the wedding of

Jenna Bush Jenna Welch Bush Hager (born November 25, 1981) is an American news personality, author, and journalist. She is the co-host of ''Today with Hoda & Jenna'', the fourth hour of NBC's morning news program ''Today.'' Hager and her fraternal twin sist ...

at the President's ranch outside Crawford, Texas. Holt remained in Studio 1A, while Amy Robach covered the wedding from Texas.

June

On Saturday, June 14, 2008, Lauer and Brokaw anchored a special edition entitled "Remembering Tim Russert", following the death of the '' Meet the Press'' moderator and NBC Washington Bureau Chief the previous day. Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory, Pete Williams,

Lisa Myers Lisa Myers (born Joplin, Missouri) is an American journalist. She was the senior investigative correspondent for ''NBC Nightly News''. A 1973 graduate of the University of Missouri's Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri, she joi ...

, '' Face the Nation'' host

Bob Schieffer Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American television journalist. He is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. Schieffer is one of the few journalists to have covered all f ...

, '' This Week'' host

George Stephanopoulos George Robert Stephanopoulos ( el, Γεώργιος Στεφανόπουλος ; born February 10, 1961) is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. Stephanopoulos currently is a coanchor with Robin Robe ...

, and Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

, among others, appeared on''Today'' and gave tributes to Russert and shared stories of his life and career. On Wednesday, June 18, Lauer, Vieira, Curry, and Roker broadcast from the network's Washington bureau ahead of Russert's funeral and memorial service. Natalie Morales remained in Studio 1A and took over at 8:30am, along with Amy Robach.

August

From August 8 to 22, both weekday and weekend versions of the show aired from the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, in Beijing, China. The portable outdoor studio that debuted with the 2004 summer games in Athens housed the cast and crew once more. The fourth hour didn't air during the games. Matt Lauer hosted ''Today'' from the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in Denver on Wednesday, August 27 and Thursday, August 28. A week later, on Thursday, September 4 and Friday, September 5,

Meredith Vieira Meredith Louise Vieira (born December 30, 1953) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. She is best known as the original moderator of the daytime talk show '' The View'' (1997–2006), the original host of the syndicated ...

anchored from the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in St. Paul.

November

The Monday, November 4, and Tuesday, November 5, editions of the program were billed as "special editions" as part of NBC's larger Decision 2008 election coverage. During the week of November 17, all four anchors were on location as part of NBC's Green Week. Meredith Vieira was in Australia, Matt Lauer went to Belize, Al Roker traveled to Iceland, and Ann Curry scaled

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...

. Vieira, Lauer, and Roker visited different cities or locations each day of the broadcast. Lester Holt filled in at the news desk in New York. Vieira also appeared during the third hour of ''Today'', a rarity due to her contractual obligations to '' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire''.

2009

January

Coverage on January 16, following the ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in New York's Hudson River, was billed as "Miracle on the Hudson." Coverage of the inauguration of President Barack Obama dominated the January 19 and 20 editions of ''Today'', as the four anchors broadcast from Washington on both days. On the 19th, Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira anchored all four hours from the network's Capitol Hill studios on 400 North Capitol St. Natalie Morales joined them during the third hour. Al Roker did the weather from the Mall, Ann Curry did the news headlines from the newsroom in the network's Washington bureau, but both came to the Capitol Hill studios at 9:30am ET. On the 20th, Curry reported from the Mall, while Roker was at The Pentagon, but neither came to the studios. Brian Williams joined Lauer and Vieira at 10am ET and took over coverage at 10:15am ET. Kathie Lee Gifford and

Hoda Kotb Hoda Kotb ( ; arz, هدى قطب, ''Hudā Quṭb''; ; born August 9, 1964) is an American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show ''Today'' and co-host of its entertainment ...

were not on the air both days.

March

On March 3, Lauer anchored from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The previous day, Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped to its lowest level—6763.29—since April 25, 1997. Meredith Vieira remained at Rockefeller Plaza. However, Lauer came to the studio at the 8am half-hour. On March 16, Al Roker and Meredith Vieira anchored from Ireland, Called "TODAY in Ireland". Matt Lauer is off from Studio 1-A.

May

Friday morning, May 8, Lauer, Vieira, Roker and Curry opened the program from the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

's crown, a place inaccessible to the public since 2001.

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

Ken Salazar Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Mexico. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Ba ...

was on hand to announce the crown would reopen to limited crowds on Fourth of July. Segments explored the history and symbolism of the statue, and a tour of nearby Ellis Island was shown.

June

Friday, June 26, saw a tribute to Michael Jackson and

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she playe ...

, who died the day before. The coverage spanned all four hours of the program with Vieira reporting live from Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles and Lauer in the New York studio.

2010s

2010

February

The ''Today'' cast and crew were in Vancouver for the

from February 8 to 26, 2010. Rather than using the portable outdoor studio that was used during previous Olympic games since the 2004 Summer games in Athens, the cast and crew broadcast all four hours live each day from the atrium in Grouse Mountain, overlooking Vancouver.

2011

March

In March 2011, ''Today'' featured a series of special editions on the 2011 9.0-magnitude earthquake in Japan and the subsequent

incidents ''Incidents'' is a 1987 collection of four essays by Roland Barthes. It was published posthumously by François Wahl, Barthes' literary executor. Summary In the first essay, ''La Lumiere du Sud-Ouest'', first published in ''L'Humanité'' in 1977 ...

at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant with Ann Curry reporting from Japan. Initial coverage begins at 7am EDT on March 11, with the first two hours of the program covering the earthquake and tsunami exclusively.

KNTV KNTV (channel 11), branded as NBC Bay Area, is a television station licensed to San Jose, California, United States, serving as the San Francisco Bay Area's NBC network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Sta ...

meteorologist Jeff Ranieri reported on the tsunami's West Coast impact from San Francisco, and Vieira, Roker and Curry updated viewers from ''Today'' from the Midtown Manhattan studios. An additional hour was produced for the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

beginning 7am PDT.

April

In April 2011 the ''Today'' ran special editions for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton with Meredith Vieira reporting live from London. On April 28 and 29, the entire ''Today'' cast and crew broadcast the entire show from London, broadcasting all four hours live from London on the 28, and on the 29th, the ''Today'' show was expanded to seven hours, broadcasting beginning 4am ET (9am GMT) and the cast and crew broadcast all seven hours live from London. However, due to the

2011 Super Outbreak The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest, costliest, and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded, taking place in the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States from April 25–28, 2011, leaving catastrophic destruction ...

, the ''Today'' team led the coverage, rather than ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor Brian Williams.

May

On May 2, ''Today'' ran a special edition the day after the late evening announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden by President Barack Obama. Meredith Vieira anchored in-studio from the

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

studios and Matt Lauer on-location from Ground Zero in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

, the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; Tom Brokaw contributed.

August

From August 26–28, ''Today'' featured a series of special editions with continuing coverage of Hurricane Irene as it makes multiple United States landfalls along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Delmarva Peninsula, and the

Northeast megalopolis The Northeast megalopolis, also known as the Northeast Corridor, Acela Corridor, Boston–Washington corridor, or BosWash, is the world's largest megalopolis in terms of economic output and the second most populous megalopolis in the United St ...

area of the mid-Atlantic and

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

. Ann Curry anchored during weekday edition, and Amy Robach the Saturday edition, respectively, both co-anchored by Carl Quintanilla, (substituting for Lauer and

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

); Lauer and Curry anchored the Sunday edition in-studio with Al Roker reports live from the Outer Banks and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

all three editions

October

The Thursday, October 6 edition of "Today" began with a focus on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who had died the previous evening. Matt Lauer and Ann Curry anchored this special edition of "Today" from Studio 1A. Correspondent George Lewis, who was live in California, narrated an opening piece about Jobs' life. The broadcast also featured interviews with Time managing editor Richard Stengel and NBC's Tom Brokaw as well as Jobs' co-founder and friend Steve Wozniak. At one point, Matt Lauer used a simple gesture to show Jobs' widespread influence by asking the outdoor audience to show off their iPods & iPhones. Lauer himself showed Jobs' memorial at apple.com on his iPad.

2012

January

Friday, January 13 edition of "Today" celebrated 60 years of the show. Presented by hosts Matt Lauer and Ann Curry from the Midtown Manhattan studios, featuring all living prior anchors and on-air talent for the landmark anniversary; included an appearance by Tom Hanks.

June

Tuesday, June 5 edition of "Today" broadcast extended coverage of the last day of public ceremonies for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II live from London, presented by anchor Matt Lauer and special co-anchor

(the latter who ended regularly co-hosting duties in 2011).

July

On Friday, July 20, "Today" broadcast four hours of live, bi-coastal coverage of the breaking news of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting from Studio 1-A, presented by anchors Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie, with co-presentation by Natalie Morales and Al Roker with national weather forecasts.

December

On Friday, December 14, just after "Today" signed off for the day, a shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Then Weekend Today'' anchor Lester Holt anchored special coverage from Studio 3B that afternoon and evening. On Saturday, December 15, and Sunday, December 16, both the weekday and weekend anchors (Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, and Erica Hill) anchored "Today" live from Newtown, CT, while Jenna Wolfe and Dylan Dreyer provided other news and weather information from the NY studio. On Monday, December 17, Lauer returned to the studio while Guthrie remained in Newtown.

2013

April

From Tuesday, April 16–17, Matt Lauer and Lester Holt anchor on-location coverage of the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing with Savannah Guthrie anchoring in Studio 1A. April 19, "Today" features extended, bicoastal coverage of developments in the apprehension of suspects in Boston bombings anchored by Guthrie in Studio 1A, with Lauer covering the aftermath of the West (Texas) explosion, West explosion in Texas.

May

On May 20, 2013, Lauer, Guthrie, and Morales were anchoring from Hawaii, which was part of a supposed to be week long road trip. Roker was anchoring from Moore, Oklahoma. They were going to continue to Yellowstone National park the next day, but they had to have coverage from Oklahoma. On May 21, 2013, the day after an EF-5 tornado destroyed much of Moore, Oklahoma, Lauer, Guthrie, and Roker anchored the program from the ground of Moore, OK, while Morales was in a helicopter owned and operated by Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR-TV. The next day, May 22, 2013, all anchors returned to Studio 1A except for Lauer, who continued to anchor coverage from Moore, Oklahoma.

December

On December 6, the day after Nelson Mandela died, the Today Show had a special edition commemorating him with Lester Holt reporting from South Africa.

2015

February

On February 1, Special Edition of Sunday TODAY at Super Bowl XLIX. Lester Holt, Erica Hill, Dylan Dreyer, and Sheinelle Jones anchored from Studio 1-A and Al Roker anchored from Glendale, Arizona.

2017

October

On October 2, 2017, a Special Edition of ''TODAY'' with Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer began at 5am ET/2am PT to facilitate continuous coverage of the previous evening's 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Las Vegas shooting as an NBC News Special Report. It would be Lauer's last Special Edition as a ''TODAY'' anchor.

2018

April

The week of Monday April 23 featured members of the ''TODAY'' team anchoring from Florence, Italy. This included the entire 4th hour as Kathie Lee Gifford and

hosted on a balcony overlooking Italy's wine country.

May

On Saturday May 19, ''TODAY'' aired a special edition that began at 4:30am ET and ended at 10am ET. Savannah Guthrie and

hosted live coverage of the Royal Wedding from a special vantage point overseeing Windsor Castle. On Friday, May 18, the day before the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Royal Wedding, the ''TODAY'' team anchored a special edition too. The third and fourth hour programs were live from Windsor too. The TODAY coverage held the most ratings for the Royal Wedding in the US.

2020s

2020

March and April

In March and April 2020 ''Today'' featured a series of special editions on the COVID-19 pandemic. From 18 to 30 March, 3–13 April and 16 April Savannah Guthrie hosted the show live from home, while

hosted the show live from Studio 1A.

2022

September 9

Following the announcement of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II the day before, the show was co-hosted by

from Studio 1A and Savannah Guthrie from

September 19

, Savannah Guthrie and Lester Holt co-hosted a special edition of Today (American TV program) live from Westminster Abbey, as part of NBC News' coverage of the state funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Traditional special editions

Every Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving Day (since 2000), ''Today'' is truncated to two hours as the ''Today'' crew host the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade, produced by NBC's entertainment division and not NBC News, occupies what would normally be the show's third and fourth hours. During the two hours ''Today'' is on the air, there are substitute hosts in Studio 1A as the ''Today'' crew prepare to host the parade. During coverage of presidential inaugurations or other major events scheduled in Washington, D.C., the show broadcasts either from NBC's Capitol Hill studios or from NBC's Washington bureau. During NBC's Olympics on NBC, coverage of the Olympic Games, the program is presented live from the hosting city no matter the time zone and with the weekday team presenting most of the program in lieu of the weekend anchor teams. When special events or breaking news happen on the West Coast, one or more anchors will host the show from NBC's Los Angeles bureau.

References

;Inline citations ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Special editions of Today (NBC program) Television lists by series, Today Today (American TV program)