Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital.

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1971: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) warned Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce) to keep her eyes wide open when it came to Dr. Karen Werner.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Steve Guthrie (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah Saxon (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1971: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) warned Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce) to keep her eyes wide open when it came to Dr. Karen Werner.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Steve Guthrie (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah Saxon (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital.

"More and more, I tend to read history. I often find it more up to date than the daily newspapers."
― Joe Murray

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1971: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) warned Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce) to keep her eyes wide open when it came to Dr. Karen Werner.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1969: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Virginia Vestoff) received a visit from her mother.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Steve Guthrie (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah Saxon (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital.

"History never looks like history when you are living through it."
― John W. Gardner

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: On Another World, Ken (William Prince) assured Laura (Augusta Dabney) they would put their life in order following Tom's murder.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Steve (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on GENERAL HOSPITAL.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― J. Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: On ANOTHER WORLD, Ken (William Prince) assured Laura (Augusta Dabney) they would put their life in order following Tom's murder.

1979: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Steve (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

On this date in...

1925: Actor Rock Hudson was born (his birth name was Roy Harold Scherer Jr.). In the 1984-1985 season he played Daniel Reece in DYNASTY. Hudson began having health problems in the early 1980s. After years of heavy smoking, he underwent quintuple bypass heart surgery in 1981. His health continued to decline when, three years later, he announced that he was dying from AIDS. Because Hudson was the first celebrity to publicly acknowledge his suffering from the disease, his illness changed the overwhelming perception of AIDS and brought new attention to the epidemic. Tragically, Hudson died of the disease on October 2, 1985 in Beverly Hills, California. His remains were cremated and scattered at sea.