Soap operas rose up as a fad in the United States in the 1950s. Broadcast alongside game shows and talk shows, daytime soaps became a staple in American broadcast networks. “General Hospital,” in particular, is a famous American daytime television drama that was created in 1963 by a husband and wife soap opera writing couple, Frank and Doris Hursley.
On this day, July 26th, in 1990, “General Hospital” recorded its 7,000th episode. The soap currently holds the title of the longest-running American soap opera currently in production, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
When “As the World Turns” went off the air in September 2010, “General Hospital” became the oldest American soap opera still producing episodes. It is also the only soap opera left on ABC after the network announced in April 2011 that it would cancel “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.” The longtime running show now has over 12,500 episodes and is still going strong.