1981 mtv begins broadcasting in the united states and airs its fi 08 01
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1981 45 years ago Historical Events August 1 3 sources

MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.

On August 1, in the year 1981, MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 1, one of 498 recorded events on this date across all of history.

MTV is an American cable television channel and the flagship namesake property of the MTV Entertainment Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Skydance. Launched on August 1, 1981, the channel originally aired music videos and related music entertainment programming guided by television personalities known as video jockeys (VJs). MTV soon began establishing its presence overseas, eventually gaining an unprecedented cult following and becoming one of the major factors in the rise of cable programming, leading American corporations to dominate the television economy in the 1990s.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 1, 1981 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 28 July 2026.

On This Date in History 498

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 1 Joyce Brabner, American writer and artist (born 1952)
Historical Events 2023 Aug 1 Former US President Donald Trump is indicted for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, his third…
Notable Deaths 2021 Aug 1 Abdalqadir as-Sufi, Scottish Islamic scholar and writer (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2021 Aug 1 Jerry Ziesmer, American assistant director, production manager and occasional actor (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2020 Aug 1 Wilford Brimley, American actor and singer (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2020 Aug 1 Rickey Dixon, American professional football player (born 1966)
Notable Deaths 2020 Aug 1 Rodney H. Pardey, American poker player (born 1945)
Historical Events 2017 Aug 1 A suicide attack on a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan kills 20 people.
Notable Deaths 2016 Aug 1 Queen Anne of Romania (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 1 Stephan Beckenbauer, German footballer and manager (born 1968)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 1 Cilla Black, English singer and actress (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 1 Bernard d'Espagnat, French physicist, philosopher, and author (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 1 Bob Frankford, English-Canadian physician and politician (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 1 Hong Yuanshuo, Chinese footballer and manager (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 1 Valyantsin Byalkevich, Belarusian footballer and manager (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 1 Jan Roar Leikvoll, Norwegian author (born 1974)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 1 Charles T. Payne, American soldier (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 1 Mike Smith, English radio and television host (born 1955)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 1 John Amis, English journalist and critic (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 1 Gail Kobe, American actress and producer (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 1 Babe Martin, American baseball player (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 1 Toby Saks, American cellist and educator (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 1 Wilford White, American football player (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 1 Aldo Maldera, Italian footballer and agent (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 1 Douglas Townsend, American composer and musicologist (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 1 Barry Trapnell, English cricketer and academic (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2010 Aug 1 Lolita Lebrón, Puerto Rican-American activist (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2010 Aug 1 Eric Tindill, New Zealand rugby player and cricketer (born 1910)
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 1 Corazon Aquino, Filipino politician, 11th President of the Philippines (born 1933)
Selected Events 2009 Aug 1 A shooting at a branch of the Israeli LGBT organization the Aguda in Tel Aviv resulted in two deaths.
Historical Events 2008 Aug 1 The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway begins operation as the fastest commuter rail system in the world.
Historical Events 2008 Aug 1 Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth, in the worst…
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 1 Gertan Klauber, Czech-English actor (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 1 Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1916)
Historical Events 2007 Aug 1 The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the…
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 1 Tommy Makem, Irish singer-songwriter and banjo player (born 1932)
Selected Events 2007 Aug 1 Bridge 9340, carrying Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, United States, suffered a…
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 1 Bob Thaves, American illustrator (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 1 Iris Marion Young, American political scientist and activist (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 1 Al Aronowitz, American journalist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 1 Wim Boost, Dutch cartoonist and educator (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 1 Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter and sculptor (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 1 Fahd of Saudi Arabia (born 1923)
Historical Events 2004 Aug 1 A supermarket fire kills 424 people and injures 360 others in Asunción, Paraguay.
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 1 Philip Abelson, American physicist and author (born 1913)
Selected Events 2004 Aug 1 Nearly 400 people died in a supermarket fire in Asunción, Paraguay, when exits were locked to prevent people from…
Notable Births 2003 Aug 1 Joseph Sua'ali'i, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 1 Guy Thys, Belgian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 1 Marie Trintignant, French actress and screenwriter (born 1962)
Notable Births 2002 Aug 1 Alejandro Francés, Spanish footballer

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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