There was great sadness in the U.S., and a fervent letter-writing campaign that almost brought the show to the web, when ABC announced they were cancelling their soap opera One Life to Live. After 44 years, nobody wanted the sun to set on the city of Llanview, Pennsylvania, and the Lord family, who were conceived by ABC’s Agnes Nixon to stand specifically in contrast to the “WASPy, noncontroversial nature of daytime drama”, embracing the controversial social issues that others avoided. That preservation never happened, but it stands as testament to the enduring importance of the show.

On this day, July 15, in 1968 One Life to Live premiered on ABC, attracting the same audience that a rival soap opera All My Children got for NBC.

From the very first season Nixon made good on her goal. Her show featured a broad range of ethnic types, cast strong male leads, and addressed topics from rape to cancer. There was only one concession made to avoid trouble with the censors: the show’s title was changed from the original Between Heaven and Hell.