On This Day

"The Price is Right," the US's longest-running games show, debuts on CBS

The Price Is Right is an American television game show. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their 1956–1965 show of the same name, the new version adds many distinctive gameplay...

The Price Is Right is an American television game show. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their 1956–1965 show of the same name, the new version adds many distinctive gameplay elements. Contestants compete in a variety of games to determine the prices of products or prizes which they may win. These contestants are selected from the studio audience, and are called onstage to compete by the announcer using the show's catch phrase of "come on down!"

The program premiered September 4, 1972, on CBS. Bob Barker was the series's longest-running host from its debut until his retirement in June 2007, when Drew Carey took over. Johnny Olson was the show's original announcer, holding this role until just before his death in 1985.

Historical Significance

The Price Is Right is an American television game show.

Events Before

  1. Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

    Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

  2. 1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK

    1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK

  3. Tamla Records releases Marvin Gaye's single "What's Going On" about police brutality, from the album of the same name

    What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by the American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla.

  4. Military coup in Uganda led by Major General Idi Amin

    Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.

  5. General Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President and Dictator of Uganda

    Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.

Events After

  1. Britain, Ireland, and Denmark become the 7th, 8th, and 9th members of the European Economic Community

    Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that...

  2. Elvis Presley files for divorce from Priscilla Presley on his 38th birthday

    Elvis Presley files for divorce from Priscilla Presley on his 38th birthday

  3. Actress Jane Fonda weds activist Tom Hayden

    Jane Seymour Fonda is an American actress and activist. Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television.

  4. In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions (Roe v. Wade). Writing the majority opinion, Justi

    In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions (Roe v. Wade). Writing the majority opinion, Justice Harry Blackmun states that the criminalization of abortion does not have "roots in the English common law tradition."

  5. US President Richard Nixon announces an accord has been reached to end the Vietnam War

    Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974.

More from the 1970s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 4, 1972?
The Price Is Right is an American television game show. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their 1956–1965 show of the same name, the new version adds many distinctive gameplay elements. Contestants compete in a variety of games to determine the prices of products or prizes which they may win.
Why is "The Price is Right," the US's longest-running games show, debuts on CBS significant?
The Price Is Right is an American television game show.

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