Before David Letterman became the host of his eponymous Late Show he was the host of his eponymous morning show on NBC. And before that he was a weatherman in Indianapolis, cracking jokes in his inimitable fashion. In between, he slowly rose to prominence with guest spots on various sitcoms and a regular gig on the TV game show The $20,000 Pyramid. Although he was critically adored for his work on NBC’s Morning Show, winning two Emmys, low ratings forced NBC to cancel it and move Letterman to the late night spot following Johny Carson’s The Tonight Show.

On this day, February 1, in 1982, David Letterman made his late-night debut on NBC. As the show was intended to appeal to the young male demographic, Letterman pulled no punches, entering behind a line of “peacock” girl dancers, pulling a female crew member on stage and having her do jumping jacks, and playfully sparring with guest Bill Murray.

Letterman continued his late-night show with NBC for a solid 11 years, but what he most coveted was a chance to take over the hosting duties for the prestigious Tonight Show that aired before his. He had every reason to think he would have it – NBC executives told him as much – but when the job went to Jay Leno, Letterman took his show to the rival network CBS.