A Brief History of Microphone Gaffes

The Reverend Jesse Jackson might be the latest public figure to forget about his mic, but he's certainly not the first. Here, TIME presents the top 10 most memorable microphone gaffes.

— M.J. Stephey

Jesse Jackson's Graphic Threat

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While taping an interview for Fox News on Sunday, the Reverend Jesse Jackson whispered to a fellow guest that he wants to "cut the nuts off" of Sen. Barack Obama for "talking down to black people." Even before Fox's Bill O'Reilly aired the footage, Jackson issued an apology for his "crude" remarks, saying his support for Obama is unequivocal: "It was very private. And very much a sound bite."

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