Philadelphia is currently the fifth most populous city in the United States. The home of the soft pretzel, the Philly cheesesteak, and the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia is a tourist city attracting foodies and historians alike. The city is also home to another celebrity.
On this day, July 12th, in 1937, Bill Cosby, stand-up comedian and creator of the series “The Cosby Show,” was born in Philadelphia. Growing up in Philly, the comedian self-described himself as the “class clown.”
Cosby started out performing in nightclubs, but he debuted on television in the 1960s with his star role on the show I Spy. Cosby’s greatest success on television was, of course, the creation of The Cosby Show. Becoming the highest ranked sitcom of all time, the show was one of only three American shows that reached #1 in the Nielsen rating for at least five consecutive seasons. The Cosby Show, which focused on family-oriented humor by tracing the lives of an affluent African American family, revolutionized the sitcom norm and defined the decade.