Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas was not happy Ben did not drive a stake through his heart.
1980: Edge of Night's Margo tried to speak with April.
1997: Sunset Beach's Ben discovered Annie's body in jail.
2011: GH's Michael confessed he was raped in prison.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different 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...

1949: Irna Phillips' These Are My Children premiered on NBC. It was the first major network television soap opera. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just weeks later, on February 25.

1967: On Another World, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [The Guiding Light's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) was furious to awaken again as a vampire. Ben (Thayer David) had promised to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart, but couldn't go through with it. Ben explained that he was prevented by the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker), from keeping his word.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas was not happy Ben did not drive a stake
through his heart. 1980: Edge of Night's Margo tried to speak with Aprl.
1997: Sunset Beach's Ben discovered Annie's body in jail.
2011: GH's Michael confessed he was raped in prison.

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli

"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...

1949: Irna Phillips' These Are My Children premiered on NBC. It was the first major network television soap opera. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just weeks later, on February 25.

1967: On Another World, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [The Guiding Light's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) was furious to awaken again as a vampire. Ben (Thayer David) had promised to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart, but couldn't go through with it. Ben explained that he was prevented by the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker), from keeping his word.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas was not happy Ben did not drive a stake
through his heart. 1980: Edge of Night's Margo tried to speak with Aprl.
1997: Sunset Beach's Ben discovered Annie's body in jail.
2011: GH's Michael confessed he was raped in prison.

"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...

1949: Irna Phillips' These Are My Children premiered on NBC. It was the first major network television soap opera. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just weeks later, on February 25.

1967: On Another World, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [The Guiding Light's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) was furious to awaken again as a vampire. Ben (Thayer David) had promised to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart, but couldn't go through with it. Ben explained that he was prevented by the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker), from keeping his word.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas was not happy Ben did not drive a stake
through his heart. 1980: Edge of Night's Margo tried to speak with Aprl.
1997: Sunset Beach's Ben discovered Annie's body in jail.
2011: GH's Michael confessed he was raped in prison.

"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...

1949: Irna Phillips' These Are My Children premiered on NBC. It was the first major network television soap opera. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just weeks later, on February 25.

1967: On Another World, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [The Guiding Light's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) was furious to awaken again as a vampire. Ben (Thayer David) had promised to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart, but couldn't go through with it. Ben explained that he was prevented by the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker), from keeping his word.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

1968: Dark Shadows' Barnabas was not happy Ben did not drive a stake
through his heart. 1980: Edge of Night's Margo tried to speak with Aprl.
1997: Sunset Beach's Ben discovered Annie's body in jail.
2011: GH's Michael confessed he was raped in prison.

"A page of history is worth a pound of logic."
― Oliver Wendell Holmes

"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...

1949: Irna Phillips' These Are My Children premiered on NBC. It was the first major network television soap opera. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just weeks later, on February 25.

1967: On Another World, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [The Guiding Light's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) was furious to awaken again as a vampire. Ben (Thayer David) had promised to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart, but couldn't go through with it. Ben explained that he was prevented by the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker), from keeping his word.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

1968: Barnabas Collins was not happy Ben Stoke did not drive a stake
through his heart. 1980: EON's Margo tried to speak with Aprl.
1997: SUNSET BEACH's Ben discovered Annie's body in jail.
2011: GH's Michael confessed he was raped in prison.

"Maybe if people started to listen, history would stop repeating itself."
- Lily Tomlin

"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...

1949: Irna Phillips' THESE ARE MY CHILDREN premiered on NBC. It was the first major network television soap opera. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just weeks later, on February 25.

1967: On ANOTHER WORLD, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [GUIDING LIGHT's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1968: On DARK SHADOWS, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) was furious to awaken again as a vampire. Ben (Thayer David) had promised to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart, but couldn't go through with it. Ben explained that he was prevented by the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker), from keeping his word.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 21)

On this date in...

1949: Irna Phillips' THESE ARE MY CHILDREN, the first television soap opera to appear on a major television network, premiered on NBC. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just over a month later, on February 25. FARAWAY HILL is considered to be the first television soap on a network. The series ran from October 2, 1946 to December 18, 1946 on DuMont.

1966: On ANOTHER WORLD, John and Lee argued which led to a devastating car crash.

1967: Actress Ann Sheridan died at age 51.  She played Kathryn Corning in ANOTHER WORLD.

1980: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, a hospitalized Nicole told April that Miles was really sick.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 21)

On this date in...

1949: Irna Phillips' THESE ARE MY CHILDREN, the first television soap opera to appear on a major television network, premiered on NBC. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just over a month later, on February 25. FARAWAY HILL is considered to be the first television soap on a network. The series ran from October 2, 1946 to December 18, 1946 on DuMont.

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Marceau informed Harris that the car accident victim had died.

1966: On ANOTHER WORLD, John and Lee had a terrible argument.

60 Years Ago Today - The First Daytime TV Soap

These Are My Children debuted on NBC on January 31, 1949. The show was broadcast live from Chicago, Illinois. It aired fifteen minutes a day, five days a week, at 5 p.m. ET.

The show told stories of the Henehan family in post war Chicago, where the family owned a boarding house, ruled over by Mrs. Henehan. Other characters included son John and his wife Jean as well as one of the chief boarders Katherine.

Created by Irna Phillips, These Are My Children is said to be the first network daytime soap. It was cancelled a month after it debuted because AT&T could no longer supply the cable required to transmit the show. The soap was based in large part on Phillips's early radio serials Today's Children and Painted Dreams.