Today in Soap Opera History (September 1)

1966: Burke investigated Malloy's disappearance on Dark 
Shadows. 1980: The Edge of Night's Nadine was on to Raven.
1981: Heather defended herself to Burt on General Hospital.
1988: As the World Turns' Synder Pond was the place to be.

"To believe what has not occurred in history will not occur at all, is to argue disbelief in the dignity of man."
- Mahatma Gandhi

"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...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Joe (Joel Crothers) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) about David's crystal ball's prediction. Burke (Mitchell Ryan) investigated Bill Malloys's disappearance, certain that he had incriminating evidence against Roger and Sam (David Ford). Sam believed everyone in the entire town was headed towards death.



1975: On Another World, Alice's (Susan Harney) adoption of Sally (Cathy Greene) was approved.

1977: On All My Children, Chuck Tyler (Richard Van Vleet) and Donna Beck (Candice Earley) were married by a justice of the peace.

Thanks to Scott for sending in the item above.

1980: On The Edge of Night, Nadine (Dorothy Stinnette) confronted Raven (Sharon Gabet) with the information she learned from Mr. Peabody.



1981: On General Hospital, Burt Ramsey (Bob Hastings) warned Heather (Robin Mattson) to leave Anne (Susan Pratt) alone. Heather felt Burt was determined to pin Diana Taylor's murder on her.



1989: On Guiding Light, Blake (Sherry Stringfield) was not happy when she saw Phillip (Grant Aleksander) on TV asking for information about the missing, not dead, Beth Raines.



1988: On As the World Turns, Hal (Benjamin Hendrickson) and Tom (Scott Holmes) figured out where Margo (Hillary B. Smith) had been staying, Spence forced himself on Pam, and the Snyder Pond was the place to be in Luther's Corners.



1989: Young female fans tossed panties and bras on stage during a pop concert by The Young and the Restless heartthrob Michael Damian in Dubuque, Iowa. Police reported more than 60 people were slightly hurt when some in the crowd of four-thousand toppled barriers.

1993: Jason Brooks debuted as Peter Blake on Days of our Lives.

1994: "Soap Opera : The Inside Story of Procter & Gamble" was released by Simon & Schuster. the book, by Wall Street Journal reporter Alecia Swasy, told the chilling story of life within P&G.

2000: On All My Children, Marian and Opal (Jill Larson) held a seance to try to contact Stuart.

2003: Judi Evans made her first appearance on Days of our Lives as Bonnie.

2004: On The Bold and the Beautiful, Ridge surprised Brooke with an impromptu honeymoon celebration in their bedroom by feeding her foods from exotic locations.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Joyce Holden (ex-Marie, Guiding Light) - 84
Bill Moneymaker (ex-Larry, Days of our Lives) - 76
Lily Tomlin (ex-Roberta, Desperate Housewives) - 75
Philece Sampler (ex-Donna, Another World; ex-Lacey, Rituals; ex-Renee, Days of our Lives) - 61
Beau Billingslea (ex-Trent, The Young and the Restless) - 61
Sachi Parker (ex-Lucy, Santa Barbara) - 58
Kevin McClatchy (ex-Nick, Another World; ex-Evan, General Hospital; ex-Vinnie, Guiding Light; ex-Brian, One Life to Live) - 51
Ricardo Chavira (ex-Carlos, Desperate Housewives) - 43
Burn Gorman (ex-Trask, Revenge; ex-Ben, Coronation Street) - 40
Scott Speedman (ex-Sam, Last Resort) - 39
Adrienne Wilkinson (Adrienne, Venice; ex-Lois, Undressed) - 37
Ashley Holliday (ex-Melissa, Hollywood Heights) - 29


EDITOR'S NOTE: If you have a tip on a bit of soap history on this date or future dates, let us know. Send an email to [email protected]