This Day in Pop Culture for January 31

1949: The First Soap Operas

Early daytime entertainment shows were coined “soap opera” early on. This is because many were sponsored by companies that made soap like Proctor & Gamble. And when we think of these shows we typically think of television, but this daytime regular got its start on the radio.

The very first radio soap opera was The Goldbergs which debuted in 1929. It would be another 20 years before the first TV soap opera aired.

Although the very first of these shows to air on TV was 1946’s Faraway Hill followed by 1947’s Highway to the Stars, they are often overlooked due to the fact that they aired at night rather than in the daytime. The first daytime soap was These are My Children which debuted on this day in 1949. The 15-minute program aired in Chicago 12 years after The Guiding Light started broadcasting on radio. (The Guiding Light didn’t appear on TV until 1952.)

These are My Children was created by Irna Phillips and was based largely on Phillip’s earlier radio soaps Today’s Children and Painted Dreams. The new show focused on a widow running a boarding house while also trying to help her three children. The show flopped. One reviewer for Television World magazine is quoted as saying, “There is no place on television for this type of program, a blank screen is preferable.” However, Philips continued to write soap opera stories for more successful series like Dr. Kildare and Executive Suite. (Image: The cast of Guiding Light, 1940/Wikimedia Commons)

1930: 3M Begins Marketing of Scotch Tape

1946 ad for “Scotch” Cellulose Tape. *(Wikimedia Commons)*

Most of us are aware that “Scotch” is a brand name of the 3M company, but just about as many of us refer to any adhesive tape as “scotch tape.” But it turns out that there might be another reason why we do that.

On this day in 1930, 3M began marketing their cellulose tape “Scotch” – here’s why. The term “scotch” was used to describe “stingy” back in the 1920’s. Richard Drew, developer of a new transparent material known as cellophane was testing his first masking tape to see how much adhesive it needed.

Apparently, a bodyshop painter was frustrated with the sample tape and said something like “Take this tape back to those scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it.” The name stuck.

1962: The First Backward Day?

While the National Backward Day is well-known to school kids everywhere and is celebrated on this day, it is unclear exactly how it came about. Rumor has it that two friends, Megan Emily Scott and Sarah Nicole Miller, were busy milking cows and were throwing around some fun ideas to and came up with the idea for Backward Day. Soon, word got out among their community and the first national version of the day took place.