Today in Soap Opera History (April 6)

"There is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again - now."
- Eugene O'Neill

"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...

1942: WE LOVE AND LEARN debuted on CBS Radio. The show was previously titled AS THE TWIG IS BENT when it aired for a year on some Mutual-Don Lee stations.

1967: On DARK SHADOWS, when Willie (James Hall) made unwanted advances at Carolyn (Nancy Barrett), she pulled a gun on him.



1976: On ANOTHER WORLD, Mac (Douglass Watson) wondered if Iris married Robert so quickly because she knew Clarice was pregnant.

1987: On DAYS OF OUR LIVES, Shawn Douglas Brady was born.



1988: On GENERAL HOSPITAL, Colton's (Scott Thompson Baker) television show was a success.



1992: On THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, Lauren (Tracie Bregman) was stunned when Scott (Peter Barton) told her that Sheila came back from Michigan the day after she gave birth to Scotty.

1992: South African soap opera EGOLI: PLACE OF GOLD premiered on M-Net.

1995: Patrick Muldoon's first run as Austin Reed in DAYS OF OUR LIVES came to an end. He returned to the show in 2011 and left again a year later.

1998: Country music icon Tammy Wynette died at age 55. She played waitress Darlene Stankowski on CAPITOL.

2004: Joan Van Ark debuted as Gloria in THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.



2004: Heather Olson aired for the final time as Jan Spears in DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

2009: On GUIDING LIGHT, Olivia (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia (Jessica Leccia) shopped for a dress for Natalia's upcoming wedding to Frank.



Today's Birthdays:
Billy Dee Williams (ex-Touissant, GENERAL HOSPITAL/GH: NIGHT SHIFT; ex-Jim, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Brady, DYNASTY; ex-Bo, DIARY OF A SINGLE MOM) - 77
Roy Thinnes (ex-Roger/Rev. Trask, DARK SHADOWS; ex-Nick, FALCON CREST; ex-Phil, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 76
Gilbert Lewis (ex-Orval, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 73
Judith McConnell (ex-Sophia, SANTA BARBARA, ex-Eva, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Miranda, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Valerie, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Augusta, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 70
Karin Wolfe (ex-Mary, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Pam, ANOTHER WORLD) - 70
Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Dr. FREED, MISS BEHAVE) - 66
Jane A. Rogers (ex-Heather, SANTA BARBARA; ex-Julie, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Karen, FALCON CREST; ex-Celeste/Tess, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 54
Susan Miller (Creator/Producer, ANYONE BUT ME)
Candace Cameron Bure (ex-Summer, MAKE IT OR BREAK IT) - 38
Teddy Sears (ex-Chad, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Hayden, 666 PARK AVENUE) - 37
Emily Allyn Barth (ex-Mary, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 34
Robert Gorrie (ex-Matthew, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Nate, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 27
Spencer List (ex-Ace, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 16

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to [email protected].