Today in Soap Opera History (July 12)

1982: Guiding Light's Justin deal with the death of his wife, Carrie.
1991: Days of our Lives' Frankie and Eve left Salem.
2007: One Life to Live's Jessica and Nash were married.
2010: On ABC.com's What If, Erica Kane met Sonny Corinthos.

"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...

1966: On The Guiding Light, Ed (Robert Gentry) found Bill (Ed Bryce) drunk at a bar.

1966: On Dark Shadows, Roger (Louis Edmonds) encountered Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) on Widows' Hill and told her the story of its legend and history. Meanwhile, Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) tried to learn what is troubling her father, Sam (David Ford).



1982: On Guiding Light, word spread around Springfield that Jackie's plane crashed and she was dead. Sara worried about Carrie's (Jane Elliot) mental state.



1991: On Coronation Street, aware of her new husband's manipulations, Jackie Ingram Baldwin (Shirin Taylor) pulled a shotgun on Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs).



1991: Charlotte Ross aired for the final time as Eve Donovan on Days of our Lives. Eve left town with Frankie, played by Billy Warlock who also left the show at the time. Warlock returned for another run in 2005. The character of Eve returned in 2014, played by Kassie DePaiva.



2006: Benjamin Hendrickson appeared for the final time as Hal Munson in As the World Turns. In the episode, Hal agreed to let Parker to move back in with Carly (Maura West), and the Munson family toasted Jennifer, who had just died.



2007: On One Life to Live, Jessica (Bree Williamson) and Nash (Forbes March) were married.



2007: General Hospital: Night Shift, a nighttime spin-off of the daytime soap, premiered on SOAPnet.



2009: Indie Series Award-winning web series Empire premiered. The show now stars former daytime favorites Tina Sloan, Orlagh Cassidy, Yvonne Perry, Lauren B. Martin and Ellen Dolan. Read our interview with creators Greg Turner and Brian Hewson conducted a month before the show premiered here.

2010: ABC.com premiered the first What If... episodes. The Emmy Award-winning web series, directed by Frank Valentini, mashed up characters from All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital.

All My Children's Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) meet: When Sonny's plan to use Erica as an alibi goes awry, his claustrophobia gets the best of both of them. (“Sonny and Erica: Love in a Time of Claustrophobia”).



All My Children's Ryan Lavery (Cameron Mathison) and General Hospital's Carly Jacks (Laura Wright): Carly gives Ryan a refresher course on how to channel his inner bad boy.(“Ryan & Carly: How to be Bad”). Watch here.

One Life to Live's Todd Manning (Trevor St. John) and General Hospital's Damian Spinelli (Bradford Anderson): Spinelli's fear of flying frustrates Todd to no end and unexpectedly changes their flight plan. (“Todd & Spinelli: Fear of Flying”). Watch here.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Joseph Whipp (ex-Marty, General Hospital; ex-Charles, Generations) - 74
Richard Simmons (ex-Richard, General Hospital) - 67
Socorro Santiago (ex-Isabella, All My Children) - 64
Mel Harris (ex-Sylvia, Saints & Sinners; ex-Hope, Thirtysomething) - 59
Tonya Lee Williams (ex-Olivia, The Young and the Restless) - 57
Rolonda Watts (ex-Cameron, Days of our Lives, ex-Julia, The Bold and the Beautiful) - 56
Judi Evans (Adrienne/ex-Bonnie, Days of our Lives; ex-Maeve, As the World Turns; ex-Paulina, Another World; ex-Beth, Guiding Light) - 51
Cheyenne Jackson (ex-Dustin, Glee) - 40
Anna Friel (ex-Beth, Brookside; ex-Poppy, Emmerdale; ex-Belinda, Coronation Street) - 39
Michelle Rodriguez (ex-Ana Lucia, Lost) - 37
Kristen Connolly (Jamie, Zoo; Lena, The Whispers; Christina, House of Cards; ex-Josie, As the World Turns; ex-Jolene, Guiding Light) - 35
Natalie Martinez (ex-Michelle, Fashion House) - 31

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