Today in Soap Opera History (July 4)

2000: Days of our Lives' ghoul girl revealed herself.  2001:
Guiding Light's Meta read the Declaration of Independence at
the family's annual Bauer Barbecue. 2002: One Life to Live
featured "Babes Behind Bars." 2003: As the World Turns'
learned he was Sage's father.

"If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree."
― Michael Crichton

"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...

1955: Backstage Wife switched networks, moving from CBS Radio to NBC Radio.

1965: Actress turned news anchor Lisa Howard committed suicide with an overdose of pills at her East Hamptom home at age 35. Howard played Trudy Bauer on The Guiding Light before she broke into journalism in 1960 by scoring the first major interview with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the United Nations. She was hired by ABC news as a reporter and subsequently became the anchor for ABC's noontime news broadcast, The NewsHour with Lisa Howard.

1969: On The Doctors, amnesiac Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) was told that she was a doctor, and that Dr. Nick Bellini (Gerald Gordon) was her husband.

1983: On Days of our Lives, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) and Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) shared their first kiss in a kissing booth.



1984: On The Edge of Night, Del Emerson (Robert Gerringer) told his son, Preacher, that he conspired with Ludwig Krich to get the finder's fee for Dr. Engler's formula.



1985: Louan Gideon debuted as Liza Sentell in Search for Tomorrow.

1986: On General Hospital, after the annual Port Charles picnic in the park Robin (Kimberly McCullough) hosted her own after party.



1988: On Guiding Light, Fletcher (Jay Hammer) and Maeve were married at the Bauer Barbecue.



1988: On Another World, the residents of Bay City celebrated Independence Day.



2000: On Days of our Lives, "ghoul girl" Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin) revealed her new look.



2001: On Guiding Light, the Bauer family held their annual Bauer Barbecue. Meta Bauer (Mary Stuart) gathered everyone around to read the Declaration of Independence.



2001: ABC aired a special "Trading Places" episode of One Life to Live.



2002: On The Bold and the Beautiful, following the birth of baby Hope, Bridget (Jennifer Finnigan) threw Deacon (Sean Kanan) out of the house. "That was a little bit of a shock, finding out my husband is in love with my mother, that he's the father of her baby. Jerry Springer here we come," Bridget said.



2002: ABC aired the "Babes Behind Bars" One Life to Live special episode.



2003: On As the World Turns, Carly (Maura West) revealed to Jack (Michael Park) that he was Sage's father.



Celebrating a birthday today are:
Gina Lollobrigida (ex-Francesca, Falcon Crest) - 89
Signy Coleman (Sharon, River Ridge; ex-Hope, The Young and the Restless; ex-Annie, Guiding Light; ex-Celeste, Santa Barbara) - 56
David Joyner (ex-Keith, The Young and the Restless) - 53
Scott Major (Lucas/ex-Darren, Neighbours; ex-Murray, Home and Away) - 41
John Lloyd Young (ex-Henri, Glee) - 41
Andrea Gabriel (ex-Nadia, Lost; ex-Another World; ex-All My Children; ex-Guiding Light) - 38
Becki Newton (ex-Amanda, Ugly Betty; ex-Fantasy Daughter, Guiding Light) - 38
Brent Bailey (ex-Alex, Emma Approved; ex-Jimmy, My Synthesized Life) - 33

Legendary actress Mary Stuart, who played Jo on Search for Tomorrow and Meta on Guiding Light, was born on this day in 1926. Nelson Aspen shares memories of Mary here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email [email protected].