Five Things That Happened On January 12 In Soap History

In 1981, Dynasty premiered on ABC. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro, the show centered around the mega-rich, Denver-based Carrington clan (Blake, his second wife, Krystle, and his gay son, Steven, and sassy daughter Fallon). Ratings really took off when Blake’s conniving first spouse, Alexis, returned, with eye-popping sets, a seemingly limitless wardrobe budget (those shoulder pads!) and catfights becoming just as integral as the drama.

In 1998, Lily Walsh (Martha Byrne) and Holden Snyder (Jon Hensley) remarried on As the World Turns. For Lily and Holden purists, the ceremony was significant in part because the first time the couple got married, in 1991, the role of Lily was not played by Byrne but rather by Heather Rattray. After Lily's son Luke made his way down the aisle as ring bearer, Cal escorted Lily to the altar. Molly Conlan crashed the ceremony and caused a scene, but after she was tossed out, Lily and Holden exchanged loving vows and made it official (again).

In 1998, Cameron Mathison made his All My Children debut as Ryan Lavery. The actor marveled to Soap Opera Digest in 2011, "I didn't even realize how big of a break it was [to land the job]. I had just finished shooting a big studio movie [Studio 54]. I was a bit naive. I didn't know the power of ABC Daytime fans and All My Children. I had been on the show one day, one air show, and I was out with my friends and I got recognized. One episode! I was like, 'Wow. That's weird.' It was sort of the first moment where I said to myself, 'This show doesn't mess around, man!' It definitely changed my life in a heartbeat."

In 2016, Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) and Abigail DiMera (Kate Mansi) got engaged. An emotional Chad fought back tears as he told his beloved, "I want to spend the rest of my life making you smile." Abigail accepted the proposal and the duo exchanged a tender kiss. When Andre entered, Chad informed him of his engagement, and Andre welcomed Abby to the family.

On the penultimate episode of One Life to Live, Viki went on Bianca's talk show to talk about the importance of Fraternity Row, making a poignant speech as the soap prepared to air its final episode. Roxy threw a viewing party to say good-bye to the show she loved, which ended on a shocking cliffhanger. Meanwhile, Starr (Kristen Alderson) was preparing to move to California. At first, her father, Todd (Roger Howarth), threatened to forbid her from leaving. She gently reminded him that she wasn't a kid anymore and needed to learn to be self-reliant. Todd relented, and Blair (Kassie DePaiva) was so impressed by his maturity that she told him he had finally proved to her that he was a changed man and indicated that she was ready to reunite with him. "If you want me, I'm yours," she said, intertwining their fingers.