The first week of October is a fairly busy week in pop-culture history. The Mickey Mouse Club, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and Cartoon Network were among some of the many classics that celebrated anniversaries this week. Check out our video rundown for your weekly dose of nostalgia.
October 5, 1947
President Harry Truman makes the first televised address from the White House
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One would think that such a momentous event would warrant an exceptional topic. Unfortunately, Truman’s speech was about food conservation. He urged Americans to reduce their consumption of grain to help the reconstruction efforts in Europe. The speech, however, only reached approximately 44,000 television sets—TVs had not yet hit wide circulation because WWII prevented large-scale production. In 1949, Truman’s inauguration was the first to ever be televised (video above).
October 3, 1955
The Mickey Mouse Club premieres
The Mickey Mouse Club that premiered 58 years ago was quite different from the one that aired on Disney Channel with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling among its stars. The original series aired on ABC from 1955-1960 and marked Walt Disney’s second attempt at breaking into television. The Mickey Mouse Club was canceled in 1960 for financial reasons. It would be revived twice: once in 1977 and again in 1989.
October 1, 1962
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson's first broadcast
TV Guide ranked The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at No. 12 on its “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” list. Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992 on NBC and set the standard for all late-night talk shows to come. Now, 51 years after first laughing with Carson, NBC is developing a miniseries based on his life.
October 5, 1962
Dr. No hits theaters
If author Ian Fleming had his way in 1962, Sean Connery would not have been the one to bring James Bond to life on screen in that first film adaptation 51 years ago. In 2008, Connery revealed in an interview that Fleming had called him an “over-developed stuntman.” It was not until after Dr. No’s success that Fleming came around to Connery’s casting.
October 5, 1962
“Love Me Do,” The Beatles’ first single is released
“Love Me Do” was released with the B-side “P.S. I Love You” and peaked at No. 17 on the U.K. charts. Initially, Beatles producer George Martin wanted to release the song “How Do You Do It” as the band’s first single. Before its release, the Beatles’ recorded three versions of “Love Me Do,” all with different drummers: one with Pete Best, another with Ringo Starr, and a third with Andy White on drums and Starr on tambourine.
October 1, 1992
Cartoon Network goes live
Cartoon Network celebrated its 21st anniversary on Tuesday. When it launched in 1992, it was the first 24-hour channel devoted solely to animation. In the beginning, it only aired re-runs of classic cartoons such as Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, and The Flintstones. The channel did not start airing newly produced cartoons until February 1995, when it launched What a Cartoon!, a showcase of animated shorts. Your daily reminder that you’re old: Someone who was born the day Cartoon Network went live is now old enough to legal drink alcohol.
