Today in 1980, the Cable News Network (CNN) aired for the first time, becoming the World’s first 24-hour TV news network. CNN took the world by storm, showing people that news wasn’t limited to just a 30 minute broadcast each night. The idea for CNN came out of the mind of Robert “Ted” Turner. A Businessman from Cincinnati, Turner was outspoken and a very driven man. Turner would work with his father in a successful advertising company until his father committed suicide in 1963. Following the death of his father, Turner would take over the business and further expand it.
By 1970, Turner purchased a failing Atlanta TV station and transformed it into something special. Turner would also buy the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks and broadcast their games to get his TV station started. CNN was ridiculed and often called the Chicken Noodle Network in their early stages. However, the network gained significant views when with their live coverage of the Persian gulf War in 1991.
