Today in History: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Television
“These Are My Children”, the first official daytime drama (aka soap opera) debuted on NBC in 1949. The show was broadcast live from WNBQ in Chicago, airing 15 minutes a day, five days a week, at 5 p.m. ET…Lucy (Charlene Tilton) visited her newly remarried parents (Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark) on recently launched “Dallas” spin-off “Knots Landing” on CBS in 1980…ABC sitcom “The Wonder Years” began its five-and-one-half season run in 1988. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in that first abbreviated season. The recent reboot of “The Wonder Years” ran for two seasons on ABC.

NBC crime drama “Homicide: Life on the Street” debuted on NBC following “Super Bowl XXVII” in 1993. It aired for seven seasons and concluded on “Homicide: The Movie” in 2000.

Animated Fox mainstay “Family Guy” launched on Fox in 1999. After being prematurely canceled, it was seen on Cartoon Network and developed a following. In May 2004, Fox ordered 35 new episodes of “Family Guy,” marking the first revival of a television show based on DVD sales.

Movies
“The Misfits”, starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, both in their final appearances, opened in theaters in 1961. For Gable, the film was posthumously released, while Monroe died in 1962.

Music
Single “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison hit #1 on UK pop chart in 1971…Barry Manilow single “Mandy” went gold in 1975.

Celebrity Birthdays
Composer Philip Glass is 86; actor Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul,” ″Breaking Bad”) is 76; actor Glynn Turman (“The Wire,” ″A Different World”) is 76; singer Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band is 72; singer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols is 67; actor Anthony LaPaglia (“Without a Trace,” ″Murder One”) is 64; actress Kelly Lynch is 64; singer-guitarist Lloyd Cole is 62; actress Paulette Braxton (“The Parkers,” ″In The House”) is 58; actress Minnie Driver (“Speechless”) is 53; actress Portia de Rossi is 50; “Scandal” star Kerry Washington is 46; former “SNL” cast member Bobby Moynihan is also 46; singer Justin Timberlake is 42; actor Tyler Ritter (“The McCarthys”) is 38; singer Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line is 36; singer Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons is 36.

Did You Know?
Richard Belzer, who played Detective John Munch as a regular on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: SVU,” guest-starred as that character in 7 other series: “Law & Order,” “The X-Files,” “The Beat,” “Arrested Development,” “Law & Order: Trial by Jury,” “The Wire” and “30 Rock.”