On This Day, April 1, 1963, the ABC television network aired the premiere episode of the soap opera series General Hospital, which would go on to become one of the longest-running dramatic series in television history.
Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, General Hospital was the first soap opera produced by ABC to be shot on videotape. It centered around the professional and personal lives of doctors and nurses at the fictional General Hospital.
Despite unspectacular ratings in its early years, General Hospital’s creative reinvention in the late 1970s led to its rise as the highest-rated daytime drama by the early 1980s. Its famous supercouples like Luke & Laura captured fan devotion.
Now in its 61st year, General Hospital remains ABC’s longest-running entertainment program still in production. From its humble premiere on April 1, 1963, it overcame rocky starts to become a culturally iconic television juggernaut and a gold standard for American soap operas spanning six decades.
