Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted as Julia on Santa Barbara.
1985: GH's Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted as Julia on Santa Barbara.
1985: GH's Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.

"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted as Julia on Santa Barbara.
1985: GH's Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted as Julia on Santa Barbara.
1985: GH's Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted as Julia on Santa Barbara.
1985: GH's Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.

Joan Rivers Wins at 1990 Daytime Emmy Awards (Video)

Joan Rivers.  Photo Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

Legendary comedian Joan Rivers died on Thursday, September 4 at age 81. Rivers had a long, illustrious career, which included a Daytime Emmy win in 1990 for Outstanding Talk/Service Show Host for her TV series The Joan Rivers Show, which ran from 1989 to 1993. The win, at a glamorous Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony broadcast during the afternoon on ABC from the Marriott Marquis in New York City, came after Rivers rebounded from what may have been the worst period of her life.

Taking the stage to accept her award, Rivers gave a speech that was at once funny, warm, and utterly heart-wrenching. There were laughs, of course, but there were also tears.

True to her nature, she started off her speech with a joke. "I always had a fantasy as a child that I'd win one of these," she began, clutching the golden statue. "I never thought I'd be this old when the fantasy came true, but here it is."

She went on to thank everyone involved with her show before ending on a personal and very poignant note. "[Thank you] especially to my daughter Melissa, because the last two years have been very difficult. Two years ago, I couldn't get a job in this business," she shared, alluding to the fallout of her firing from Fox's The Late Show. "People said I wouldn't work again."

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted on Santa Barbara. 1985L GH's
Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.

"The whole past is the procession of the present."
- Thomas Carlyle

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.

1985: On Santa Barbara, Augusta (Louise Sorel) realized she was blind and called her sister Julia in Phoenix. This was the first appearance of Nancy Lee Grahn as Julia Wainwright.

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

On this date in...

1987: Alexis' car plunged off a bridge on the season finale of DYNASTY.

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

On this date in...

1987: Alexis' car plunged off a bridge on the season finale of DYNASTY.

1994: Kristian Alfonso returned to DAYS OF OUR LIVES after a four year absence.