Today in History: Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Television and Radio:
“The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” debuted on CBS in 1971…CBS sitcom “Good Times” ended its five-and-one-half season run in 1979…Cable network MTV debuted in 1981 at 12:01 a.m. ET with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll” played over footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown of Columbia, which took place earlier that year, and footage of the launch of Apollo 11. The initial goal was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs…Rush Limbaugh began his national radio show in 1988.

Music:
Chubby Checker released “The Twist” in 1960…Also in 1960 was Aretha Franklin’s first recording session.

Sports:
Reggie Jackson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1993.

Books:
George R.R. Martin published the epic fantasy novel “A Game of Thrones”, the first in his series “A Song of Ice and Fire”, in 1996.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Rapper Coolio is 60; Tempestt Bledsoe (“The Cosby Show”) is 50.

Did You Know?:
When we first met Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), she was employed as Maude Findlay’s (Bea Arthur) housekeeper in Tuckahoe, New York on sitcom “Maude.“ Her husband, played by John Amos, was named Henry. So, how did she get to the projects of Chicago, with Amos now referred to as James, on spin-off “Good Times”?