Today in Soap Opera History (September 26)

1986: Bobby was alive on Dallas!  1994: All My Children's Erica visited Mona's grave.
1995: Another World's Grant shot Ryan in the back. 1997: Jack was recast in the middle of a Days of our Lives episode.

Every day, we dig into the archives to celebrate the moments, milestones, and memories that shaped the soaps we love—from daytime classics to digital dramas. Relive the weddings, scandals, premieres, finales, and unforgettable twists that made history.

On this day in...

1938: Radio soap opera Houseboat Hannah premiered on the NBC Red Network. Hard working Dan O'Leary, who lost an arm in a factory accident, moved his financially strapped family aboard a house boat in Shanty Fish Row on San Francisco Bay. Resourceful and resolute Hannah O'Leary became a mother figure to most of the Row. The theme song for Houseboat Hannah was Harry Revel and Mack Gordo's "Laugh Your Way Through Life."

1979: On As the World Turns, John Dixon (Larry Bryggman) told David Stewart (Henderson Forsythe) he thought his ex-wife, Kim (Kathryn Hays), was falling apart inside after Dan's death.



1986: Actor Hugh Franklin died at age 70. His soap roles included Charles Tyler Sr. in All My Children, Ralph Brown in As the World Turns, Ed Bridgeman in Love of Life, Fred McNeill in Young Doctor Malone and Richard Garner in Dark Shadows.

1986: On Another World, Marley Love (Ellen Wheeler) prepared to walk down the aisle in her wedding to Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin). Laurence Lau debuted in this episode as Jamie Frame, who was now a doctor.



1986: As the 10th season of Dallas kicked off, Pam Ewing (Victoria Principal) got out of bed and went to the shower, where she found her husband, Bobby (Patrick Duffy), very much alive. It turned out everything that happened in the previous year was just Pam's dream. Below is the cliffhanger from the previous season.



1993: Actor Biff Warren died at age 37. He played Mark Lewis in As the World Turns.

1994: On All My Children, Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) told her daughter, Kendall Hart (Sarah Michelle Gellar), to go back to the Harts. Later, Erica visited her mother's grave.



1995: On Another World, Justine (Victoria Wyndham) shoved Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) off the train trestle. As Ryan (Paul Michael Valley) held Justine at gunpoint, Grant (Mark Pinter) pulled out his own gun and shot Ryan (Paul Michael Valley) in the back.



1997: On Days of our Lives, Jack Deveraux, played by Mark Valley, started taking a shower. By the time Jack was finished with the show the role was being played by Steve Wilder.

2000: Actor Richard Mulligan, who played Burt Campbell in Soap, died at age 67.

2006: Inturn winner Alex Charak made his debut on As the World Turns as Elwood Hoffman.

2010: Titanic actress Gloria Stuart died at age 100. She played Catherine in General Hospital.

2011: On EastEnders, Zainab (Nina Wadia) optimistically believed her estranged husband's visit was a sign that Masood (Nitin Ganatra) was prepared to reconcile with her, when instead, he'd come to tell her of his decision that they should divorce by reciting the Muslim ritual of the "triple talaq."



2011: Deidre Hall, Drake Hogestyn, Patrick Muldoon and Christie Clark returned to Days of our Lives as Marlena, John, Austin and Carrie as part of a reboot of the show to improve ratings.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Linda Hamilton (ex-Lauren, King's Crossing; ex-Lisa, Secrets of Midland Heights) - 69
Lysette Anthony (ex-Angelique, Dark Shadows) - 62
Tricia O'Kelley (ex-Tanya, Devious Maids; ex-Camille, The Secret Life of the American Teenager) - 57
Michael Redfield (ex-Max, Days of our Lives) - 46
Christina Milian (Liliana, East Los High) - 44
Jessie Pavelka (ex-Team Captain, Friday Night Lights) - 43
Sean Hemeon (Ken, Bloomers; Brady, Husbands; ex-Max, As the World Turns)
Thore Schölermann (ex-Christian, Verbotene Liebe) - 41
Corsica Wilson (ex-Callie, L.A. Macabre)
Emma Rigby (ex-Hannah, Hollyoaks; ex-The Red Queen, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) - 36