Important Dates in ATWT History
- Monday, April 2, 1956: ATWT premieres at 1:30 pm EST on CBS as the first half-hour daily soap opera.
- January 1960: ATWT's 1000th episode.
- May 16, 1960: Eileen Fulton joins the cast of ATWT.
- May 5, 1965: Our Private World, the only nighttime series ever spun off from a daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS.
- September 10, 1965: After 38 episodes, the ATWT spinoff Our Private World ended its run.
- Monday February 20, 1967: ATWT's first regularly scheduled color episode.
- Sunday, September 8, 1968: Soon after its 3200th episode, ATWT is the subject of a New York Times Magazine cover story.
- Sometime in 1973: ATWT switches from organ accompaniment to prerecorded orchestrations.
- Spring 1975: ATWT airs its last live episode. Pretaping of ATWT began approximately six months before its first one hour episode.
- Monday, December 1, 1975: ATWT becomes CBS' first hourlong daily soap.
- Monday, February 4, 1980: ATWT moves to 2:00 pm EST.
- Monday, June 2, 1980: Copyright notice appears at the end of ATWT and other Procter and Gamble soaps for the first time.
- Monday, June 8, 1981: ATWT moves back to its traditional start time of 1:30 pm EDT.
- Friday, October 30, 1981: It is the end of an era as Charles Paul's "Theme for 'As the World Turns,'" one of the longest-running TV soap themes of all time, is heard over the opening and closing of ATWT for the last time.
- Monday, November 2, 1981: ATWT changes its opening visual sequence and theme song. (Debut of Jack Cortner's "The World Turns On and On")
- Friday, May 20, 1983: ATWT airs its 7000th episode, one day short of a full month after "The Edge of Night's" 7000th episode.
- Friday, December 21, 1984: Approximate debut of full-orchestral remix of "The World Turns On and On" over the opening only. (That full-orchestral remix wouldn't be used over the midprogram break and end credits until March 1985.)
- Fall 1985: Debut of animated Procter and Gamble Productions ident logo after end credits. (This P&G ident made its debut in February 1985 following the end credits of "Another World.")
- Monday, March 23, 1987: ATWT moves back to 2:00 pm EST to make room for "The Bold and the Beautiful."
- June 30, 1987: ATWT won its first Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Emmy Award.
- August 1988: Debut of techno-synthesizer arrangement of "The World Turns On and On" theme. This would be the last remix for this particular theme song.
- June 27, 1991: ATWT won its second Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Emmy Award.
- Wednesday, February 3, 1993: Debut of new opening theme by Barry DeVorzon and new opening sequence with "four seasons" visuals.
- Friday, May 12, 1995: ATWT's 10,00th episode!
- Sept. 1998: Eileen Fulton is inducted into Soap Opera Weekly's Soap Opera Hall of Fame.
- Monday, May 10, 1999: ATWT Episode #11,000!
If you have any further material or corrections to add to this section, please e-mail me at drjackso@suffolk.lib.ny.us. Thank you.
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