History Today: How MTV redefined music with its launch

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01-08-2025

Music Television (MTV) was launched on August 1, 1981, in New York and changed the history of music forever. MTV offered 24/7 music videos, introduced by a new breed of television personalities known as Video Jockeys (VJs) read more
The history of music changed forever on August 1, 1981, with the launch of a new television channel called Music Television (MTV) in New York City. The launch took place at 12:01 am with the airing of the first music video - 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles.
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On this day in 1944, Anne Frank, the most famous diarist of the World War era, wrote her final diary entry. Just three days later, the Secret Annexe in Amsterdam was discovered and raided by Nazi authorities.
Here is all that happened on this day.
MTV was launched in New York City
'Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll,' were the words with which John Lack, one of the creators of MTV, launched the music channel on August 1, 1981. This was followed by the airing of The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star at 12:01 am.
Prior to its arrival, music videos were largely promotional tools without a dedicated platform for widespread viewing. MTV changed this by offering 24/7 programming of music videos, introduced by a new breed of television personalities known as Video Jockeys (VJs). The original five VJs were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, JJ Jackson, and Martha Quinn. They became instant celebrities, helping to shape the channel's early identity.
MTV offered 24/7 programming of music videos. Representational image
It transformed unknown artists into household names, heavily influencing fashion, language, and youth culture in the 1980s and beyond. Artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and Duran Duran saw their careers explode thanks to high-rotation airplay on the network.
However, MTV also faced early criticism for lacking diversity in its music programming, which eventually shifted after public pressure and the breakthrough success of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean.' Over the years, MTV expanded into reality television, pop culture shows, and award events, including the iconic MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) launched in 1984.
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Anne Frank writes her last diary entry
Anne Frank wrote for the last time in her beloved diary on this day in 1944, just three days before she and the rest of the people hiding in the Secret Annexe were discovered and sent to concentration camps.
Anne's last entry in the diary, which she fondly called 'Kitty', doesn't speak of fear or doom but instead offers a deep reflection on her inner conflict. In it, she wrote about the contrast between her outward cheerful self and her more serious, anxious inner voice. She confessed to feeling torn between these two versions of herself, namely the playful girl others see and the thoughtful writer she longs to be. 'I know exactly how I'd like to be,' she wrote, 'how I am… on the inside. But unfortunately, I'm only like that for myself.'
Otto Frank discovered Anne's diary after her death and published it. File image/Reuters
This entry captures Anne's profound self-awareness and emotional maturity. Despite the terrifying conditions she endured, she remained introspective, hopeful, and eager to understand herself and the world around her.
After the arrest, Anne was eventually transported to Auschwitz and later to Bergen-Belsen, where she died of typhus in early 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated. Otto Frank, Anne's father and the sole survivor of the eight people who hid in the annexe, later discovered her diary and published it with the title 'The Diary of a Young Girl' in 1945.
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This Day, That Year
On this day in 1996, American author George RR Martin published his hugely famous book 'A Game of Thrones'.
American boxer Mike Tyson was unanimously recognised as heavyweight champion after defeating Tony Tucker in 1987.
John F Kennedy's bestseller 'Why England Slept' was published in 1940.