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Subscribe to RSSUpdate Jan. 13:
Matt's first Where in the World broadcast was our viewers' favorite TODAY moment during our past 60 years!
Read the original post below, and weigh in on the choices in the comments.
Original post:
As TODAY celebrates its 60th anniversary this week, we want viewers to take part: Tell us your favorite moment from our history.
Staffers whittled down our nearly 22,000 broadcasts to six iconic TODAY moments. Vote for your favorite at the bottom of the page or add your own suggestion in the comments!
TODAY will reveal the winner during Friday's 60th anniversary celebration.
1. NBC debuts TODAY
"Well here we are and a good morning to you. The very first good morning of what I hope and suspect will be a great many good mornings between you and I."
That's how Dave Garroway welcomed America to TODAY on Jan. 14, 1952 at 7 a.m.
The world was a different place in 1952: A gallon of gas set you back 20 cents and Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads' "Cry" was the most popular song. Harry Truman was president and King George VI reigned over the United Kingdom.
Only one in three families owned a television, and it seemed fewer thought a television show could be successful before noon.
"As pervasive as television had become in a relatively short time, it had virtually no place in people's lives during the hectic early hours of the morning," Steven Battaglio wrote in his book, "From Yesterday to TODAY: Six Decades of America's Favorite Morning Show." "None of the networks believed there was enough of an audience to program the hours before 11:30 a.m."
But NBC believed otherwise, and a different sort of broadcast took to the airwaves on Jan. 14.
It was named TODAY, and its mission was to "put you more closely in touch with the world we live in," Garroway said on the first broadcast.
2. Monkey business in the morning
TODAY struggled with viewer and advertiser support during its first year, and rumors at the time suggested it could be canceled.
What saved the broadcast? Ratings soared after producers added an unlikely anchor to the program: A chimpanzee named J. Fred Muggs.
The chimp debuted on Feb. 3, 1953. "Muggs leapt up onto the desk on the TODAY set and into Garroway's arms," Battaglio wrote. "He then grabbed the host's tortoise shell glasses and put them into his mouth before Garroway could quickly snatch them back. From that moment forward, Muggs was a hit with viewers."
Despite sometimes gnawing on Garroway's fingers, the chimp's antics lightened up the show. In one memorable moment, Muggs was given his first desk only to reject it so he could playfully attack announcer Jack Lescoulie's desk.
Muggs left the show in 1957 and currently lives in Citrus Park, Florida.
3. Barbara Walters learns secrets of Playboy Bunnies
Barbara Walters started at TODAY in 1961 as a copy writer; she departed 15 years later as the broadcast's first female co-host.
She was also the show's final TODAY Girl, a female correspondent position that existed between 1952 and 1966 whose responsibilities included reporting on lighter subjects like fashion or lifestyle segments.
Walters aimed higher, interviewing such high-profile guests like Princess Grace of Monaco, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon.
"During the early days of the feminist movement of the 1960s, Walters' emergence on TODAY was heralded as a significant inroad for women in television news," Battaglio wrote. Read an excerpt and find more details about his book, "From Yesterday to TODAY."
One of Walters' most memorable segments — and a piece that shows how far TODAY has come through the years — included her training to become a Playboy Bunny in the iconic New York City club. It aired Dec. 31, 1962.
"When my turn came I felt pretty awkward, but at least I didn't spill anything on the customers," she said in the piece, adding that when she was leaving the doorman confused her as one of the models instead of a reporter for NBC. "I must admit that secretly I was kind of pleased."
4. Matt Lauer debuts Where in the World from Egypt
The concept is simple: Matt Lauer travels to a different secret destination around the world every day for five days, and viewers are only given one hint to help them guess where he'll end up next. And the series that started in April 1998 became the show's most successful in its 60-year run.
Matt spanned the globe nine more times after his first trip, earning hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles along the way. He landed in such far-away places as Zimbabwe, Easter Island, Bhutan, Malaysia and Monaco. He paraskied in the Swiss Alps and ate fried silk worms in Laos. Click here to see a slideshow of all 49 locations he's visited.
The location of his first trip was the most iconic: The pyramids in Egypt.
5. Katie Couric flies in from Never Land
Halloweens at TODAY are always among the most talked-about moments of every year.
Our anchors have dressed up in the past as "Star Wars" characters, popular fairy tale icons and, this past year, members of the royal family celebrating Will and Kate's wedding.
No entrance was more memorable than Katie Couric's when she dressed up as Peter Pan. She flew over the crowd attached to a wire, soaring over the plaza. But the best part was when she tried to land.
6. Ann Curry reports from the South Pole
TODAY traveled to the Ends of the Earth in 2007 to explore the diversity of life on the planet.
Ann was dispatched to Antarctica, and after days of weather delays in reaching the South Pole, she finally made it.
"Just a few moments ago we touched down at the South Pole!" she proclaimed live on TODAY in negative 53 degree Fahrenheit temperatures (not counting the windchill)! "There were many many many days of waiting, but I guess perseverance pays off," Ann said via satellite phone.
It was the first-ever live network broadcast from the earth's southernmost point, where only about 7,000 people had ever visited previously. Click here to watch Ann Curry's report from Antarctica, which aired the following day.
Which do you think is TODAY's most iconic moment over the past 60 years? Vote below The poll is closed as of Jan. 13, but share your thoughts in the comments (if you're looking for more of the broadcast's best clips, check our TODAY at 60 online experience).
Steve Veres is an editor for TODAY.com. He's humbled that a chimpanzee has made a much bigger impact at TODAY than he ever could.
Results
Total of 3,766 votes
| Matt Lauer debuts Where in the World | 31.7% (1,193 votes) |
| Ann Curry reports from South Pole | 22.9% (864 votes) |
| NBC debuts TODAY in 1952 | 20.4% (769 votes) |
| Katie Couric flies on Halloween | 10.4% (391 votes) |
| Barbara Walters as Playboy Bunny | 6% (225 votes) |
| Chimp becomes TODAY anchor | 5.4% (205 votes) |
| I'll leave answer in the comments | 3.2% (119 votes) |
Leave a Comment:
There have been many iconic moments. Off the top of my head, I have to say that the first Today show flash mob was a lot of fun.
My favorite Today moment was Katie Couric's on-air colonoscopy-------------which probably did more good for more people than any other. I love Ann and her humanitarian approach, but Katie's "pretty little colon" was the tops!!
As with many others, the most memorable time with me was the evolving events of 9-11-01. I was watching it from the very beginning and the whole event is embedded in my memory. And I too watch it during the anniversay airings.
Second is Katie's on-air colonoscopy. I thought of her when I did mine.
Lastly, - Matt and Al as Jennifer Lopez and Puff Daddy.
When Katie Couric was reporting on the 1st plane hitting the towers on 9/11/01 and then the second plane hit, live, on the air. It's a moment I will never forget. It was handled so well by the Today Show and I am thankful for that.
The Today Show is my all-time favorite program to watch! Thank you for 60 years! (25 of which I have been old enough to watch and comprehend)
I agree. The 9/11 was the most memorable. I watch it on MSNBC every year.
For me, it was 9/11. I was in Italy for the first time and as an avid Today Show watcher, I knew seeing Matt and Katie would have been comforting. I'm glad you air the two hour 9/11 special as it happened each year...
Happy Anniversary Today Show! (Ps - love the book!)
9/11 for sure.
I can't believe it wasn't offered as one of the 6 to vote for.
I was out of state out west and stayed glued to the TV for hours after the first plane hit.
Katie and Matt did a fantastic job.
Matt Lauer IS the Today Show
I'm with you! I hope those rumors about him leaving and being replaced by Ryan Seacrest turn out to be a sick joke.
Ann Curry @ South Pole - I wanted to cry - There cheering for her in the video was Tim Russert. I never fail to miss that man. I really wish NBC could find a replacement for that position with Tim's intelligence, whit, charisma and lovability so we could move on and feel justice has been done for him.
On another note, OMIGOSH, is that HAIR on Matt's head?! How far we've come! How OLD we've gotten! (I think he & I are the same age).
I've loved Today for many decades now and it is an integral part of my day and my life. Each and every Today Show personality over that time has felt like a FRIEND. There have been times when the warm-spirited Today Show has been an impetus in my life to get out of bed, giving me strength in difficult days -- such as when my husband had his second heart attack 3 days after surgery on both my feet when my kids were 1 & 3, through struggles with my kids including dealing with a teen's now cured heroin addiction, a teen pregnancy when I THOUGHT I was done changing diapers, or when our house was foreclosed and the 5 of us, including an infant under 1, had 15 days to find a place to live. I even remember watching the show as a child as my mother watched it.
THANK YOU ALL, Matt, Al, Willard, Ann, Meredith, Katie, Deborah, Jane, & Bryant, and all the Today Show personalities and staffers for information, wisdom, thought-provoking ideas, health, nutrition, encouragement, fun, laughter, awe, hope, strength, joy, and the news of the day! Bless you all for your gift to this nation and bless the Today Show for another bright 60 years!!
I agree...Today's coverage of 9/11 is the most iconic and heartbreaking moment.
For
thirty some years I’ve watched Today
I’ve
seen the anchors come and go away,
Curie,
Vieira,Gumbel,Brokaw,Pauley, Wa Wa, Downs, Hartz, & Norville, oh golly…
And
where in the world is Matt Laur?
Well,
He’s celebrating 15 years
He’s
been there through cheers and jeers…
He’s
the best, and now you add Ann Curry.
And
I cut my hair… just like Matt Laur
I Love
the Today Weekend with Lester, Amy and Jenna, too
But
Ryan Seacrest makes it all blurry…
What’s
up with that?
Oh
Well,
Natalie
does the news of the day
Savanna
does it when Nat is away…
Nancy tells us how to stay healthy
Jean
tells us how to get wealthy
And
Barbara shows us the homes for sale
For
sale, FOR SALE
Four
3 hours I’m really entertained
And
then the 4th hour comes with champagne
Kathy
and Hoda or Hoda and Kathy, & don’t forget Sara’s there too.
They
have fun gossiping a whole hour along with the brew.
Roker
tells me if its gonna rain or snow,
You
interview stars of Broadway shows
You
do fashion and make-up and stuff for the eyes
You
have Steals and Deals with all the great buys, But nothing for guys
Al
Roker always has fun with Jim
Director
of it all, don’t ya know…
I’ve
always wanted to be on the Today show
I
have written a book but it’s not published
I
could get in a big balloon and go flying
But
I’m afraid of heights
I
could say I have cancer
But
I’m not dyin.
I
could have 19 children
But
that ain’t gonna happen.
Oh
well, maybe this will get me on the show.
That’s
it from my neck of the woods.
Thanks
a lot and even if you don’t use this,
Have
another great 60 years and I’ll be watching…at least for 35 more years so
Willard can put me on the Smucker jar.
PS:
But
I’m really pissed about Jay Leno saying NBC is in the toilet and the only thing
that’s gonna save it is The Firm…doesn’t he realize how much it cost to get rid
of Conan or did Leno pay that bill?
fire
him!
760-835-2264
tackeedavid@yahoo.com
Are you kidding? After all teh hard news that Katie Couric presented? The iconic moment for her was her appearance as Peter Pan???? There were so many to even remember them all. But, Peter Pan? There is SO MUCH MORE to Ms. Couric than fluff. Shame on you!!
Matt Lauer .... too bad they don't use the song they used for the first couple of years.....
"Where in the world is ... HUH! .... matt lauer?"
Copyright enfingment. "Where in the World is Carmen Santiago" has the same music. NBC was just waiting for it's cancellation.
Definitely the Today Show's coverage of 9/11. It was the most informative, sensitive and appropriate coverage of the day.
I start everyday with the Today Show. Thank you to Matt, for his humanity.
Definitely the Today Show's coverage of 9/11. It was the most informative, sensitive and appropriate coverage of the day.
I start everyday with the Today Show. Thank you to Matt, for his humanity.
Jack Lescouli (sp)sports, Hugh Downs and the other fellow, doing news, and Garraway---what a GREAT lineup Pat Weaver created! I've watched since TODAY began, and with dfifferent anniversaries, I had hoped to win a TODAY trip to Manhattan, as the person who correctly guessed the date and year TODAY began (remember that anniversary contest?) Here's what I tho't might win the contest: Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters were secret lovers on TODAY. Okay--am I in time for the contest as to where I've watched TODAY? Alright, for years, I've watched TODAY in Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Omaha, Wichita, Rock Island, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, St Louis, LaCrosse WI, Lincoln, NE, Indianapolis, Joplin MO, PIttsburg KS, Louisville, Lexington KY, Chicago, Peoria, Decatur, Sioux Falls, Terre Haute, Minot ND and Rapid City,SD, Paducah, Waterloo, South Bend, Fargo, Duluth, Evansville and Fort Wayne IN, Hannibal and Columbia, MO., Madison and Green Bay, Sioux City and Sioux Falls, Wausau and Rochester MN. I'm only 86 now so there's still time for Greenwich Village! As a midwest program syndication salesman for 50 years, let me tell you about a few more cities and programs sold, while at your NBC studios. Bottom line, my wife Jeanne and I have almost religiously watched TODAY consistently for 60 years, no matter where I've traveled. Want to know TODAY'S secret?? "Informality"---just think back to Dave Garraway and his casual demeanor. This informality and personal "touch" has sustained TODAY and will continue forever.
My earliest memory of the Today show was the hysterical laugh that Frank Blair had watching a Hawaiin Punch commercial.... "how about a nice Hawaiian punch" "Sure" I have never seen someone laugh so hard he had tears in his eyes and I have been watching every day since then...
The live coverage of 9/11 on the Today Show. This day proved that the Today Show hosts don't just deliver lines off a teleprompter, they are very capable reporters in their own right.
the live coverage of 9/11 , Bryant Gumble was on and my Nephew and I were watching and saw everything unfold LIVE from the first plane and then the second, we were homeschooling at the time and watched a day in history unravel !
My most memorable moment was Matt Lauer's interview with a courageous young boy whose father was a firefighter killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Matt's genuine compassion and kindness for this young boy as he tearfully talked about his father was extraordinary and one could see Matt wrestling with his own feelings. This young boy's tears reflected the heartbreak felt by thousands and the emotional roller coaster ride experienced by the Today Show professionals reporting it. With the help of Lauer and the Today Show this young boy got to visit his favorite baseball team, the Yankees, and at least for a few moments could be a boy again.
Hiring the first woman co-anchor in1976. I don't care that much for Barbara Walters but the move was groundbreaking.
My most memorable "Today Show": "Today" from Sickles Army Airfield, Fulda, West Germany, 24 November 1987: Remember that opening shot of the 11th Cav's tanks, tracks and helicopters racing toward the hangar where the show was being taped? Or how about Willard in battle dress uniform??? Little did we know at that time that just less than 2 years later "The Wall"... the "Iron Curtain" would fall and everybody would forget all about the nearly 40+ year "Cold War", and those who stood guard on the "Frontiers of Freedom".
My most memorable moment's, that I can recall;
Ann Curry's arrival at McMurdo
Ann Curry's arrival at Amundsen-Scott
Ann Curry's parachuting chaos. Her aim for Central Park, but landing in a New Jersey back yard. Why was there wind?
Ann Curry's bungee jumping from a bridge in London. But was dared, by Tom Hank's, to go all in and he'd donate 100,000 dollar's. Ann came so close to the water.
9/11 coverage. As soon as the first tower was hit, nothing else was scheduled. Then the second tower, and I think Matt Lauer, or was it Katie Couric, who said "we are under attack". That was the new's of the week. We'd tune in every day after with continueing coverage of what was happening at Ground Zero.
Least favorite moment's;
Tom Cruise and Matt Lauer's "chat" "Mattt, Matt, Matt" To date, I still think Tom Cruise is spoiled, and refuse to see any of his movie's.
The entire 4th hour of Today. Is it me, or does Kathie Lee Gifford just set a bad example with her excessive drinking, if it's alcohol? That's why I record Today, and am able to stop the recording at 10:00. But this week is 60 year's, so I will make an acception.
Without question. live 9-11 coverage.
The most iconic moment for me was the broadcast on the day the world changed, September 11, 2001. As a frightened new mother, I expected Matt & Katie to have all of the answers to what was happening. Turns out they were just as confused, just as human, and just as American as I was. We were all in it together and that was comforting to me. Thank you & congratulations!
You know, this may sound wierd, but the two moments that stick out in my mind are
1. When Bryant Gumbel announced that Arthur Ashe had died. It was one of the few times that Bryant was visibly shaken and it could be seen in his demeanor and heard so clearly in his voice. My heart broke for him as they were dear friends.
2. The last day "Feeling Groovy" opened the show. It was a morning staple in our house. We sang it every morning as it came on throughout the show, and then something about it not being allowed because of copyright?
That's what sticks in my mind!:) The "Today" has always been a mature and classy show. Loving it~!