5 things turning 30 in 2019
1.The Simpsons
Ay Caramba! Bart Simpson and his fam made their series debut on FOX on December 17, 1989.
The animated sitcom created by Matt Groening began as a series of shorts incorporated into The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.
The Simpsons is the longest running American sitcom with more than 650 episodes to date.
2. The fall of the Berlin Wall
It took 38 years, but in 1989 the Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Germany, came tumbling down as the Cold War began to thaw.
It was November 9, 1989, to be exact that East Berlin’s Communist Party said at midnight their citizens were allowed to cross the border.
According to History.com, more than 2 million East Berliners flocked to the checkpoints that once held them back to visit West Berlin that weekend.
3. GPS
We often take GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation for granted.
It’s so easy to bring up directions on our phones, we don’t even need a separate device for guidance on the road anymore.
But it was February 14, 1989, that the first of 24 satellites to make up the global positioning system was put into orbit.
Using the GPS on your phonecan be a handy life saver. It can also suck all your data and become an expensive exercise.
4. America’s Funniest Home Videos
What could be more hilarious than watching people do downright silly things in the comfort of their own home while a friend or family member captured it on camcorder?
Comedian Bob Saget hosted the first America’s Funniest Home Videos special in 1989 before it went to series in 1990.
Saget continued to host the show for its initial eight seasons.
Funny home videos used to be the bread and butter of television but they are now perfect fodder for Facebook.
5. Seinfeld
The self-proclaimed “show about nothing” became a whole lot of something… but not right away.
Initially called The Seinfeld Chronicles when it premiered in 1989, the show wasn’t well received at first, according to Entertainment Weekly.
But it wasn’t long before fans caught on to the antics of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer.
Written by Kelly Bryant. This article first appeared in Reader’s Digest. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, here’s our best subscription offer.