Ted Turner founded CNN in 1980. It was the first television channel to offer 24-hour news coverage.
Defining moments from 40 years of CNN
Ted Turner founded CNN in 1980. It was the first television channel to offer 24-hour news coverage.
CNN

Updated 1:31 PM EDT, Sun May 31, 2020

CNN made its debut as the first 24-hour news channel on June 1, 1980.

Since then the network has covered wars, natural disasters, politics and pop culture -- in America and around the world.

Look back at some of the moments that have defined the last four decades.

The husband and wife team of Dave Walker and Lois Hart co-anchor CNN's first broadcast on June 1, 1980. The network has been on the air ever since.
The husband and wife team of Dave Walker and Lois Hart co-anchor CNN's first broadcast on June 1, 1980. The network has been on the air ever since.
Cotten Alston for CNN
In 1984, CNN camerawomen sleep on a hotel floor while their producer stays awake during rocket attacks in West Beirut, Lebanon.
In 1984, CNN camerawomen sleep on a hotel floor while their producer stays awake during rocket attacks in West Beirut, Lebanon.
Eli Reed/Magnum Photos
The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes just after takeoff from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986. All seven crew members aboard were killed, including Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space. CNN was the only network to broadcast the disaster live.
The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes just after takeoff from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986. All seven crew members aboard were killed, including Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space. CNN was the only network to broadcast the disaster live.
NASA
CNN's Bernard Shaw, bottom left, was one of the moderators for the presidential debate between George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis in October 1988. Shaw asked Dukakis, a well-known opponent of the death penalty, if he would support a death sentence for the killer if his wife was raped and murdered. Dukakis's rote answer to such an emotional question -- that he opposed the death penalty because he did not consider it a deterrent to crime -- sounded unfeeling to some. Others criticized the question itself as unfair.
CNN's Bernard Shaw, bottom left, was one of the moderators for the presidential debate between George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis in October 1988. Shaw asked Dukakis, a well-known opponent of the death penalty, if he would support a death sentence for the killer if his wife was raped and murdered. Dukakis's rote answer to such an emotional question -- that he opposed the death penalty because he did not consider it a deterrent to crime -- sounded unfeeling to some. Others criticized the question itself as unfair.
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CNN photojournalist Jonathan Schaer covered the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was one of the few people to capture the iconic "tank man" standoff.
CNN photojournalist Jonathan Schaer covered the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was one of the few people to capture the iconic "tank man" standoff.
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Following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in August 1990, journalists from CNN pose as they await an attack on Iraq by United Nations-authorized military coalition forces at a hotel in Amman, Jordan, in December 1990.
Following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in August 1990, journalists from CNN pose as they await an attack on Iraq by United Nations-authorized military coalition forces at a hotel in Amman, Jordan, in December 1990.
Dario Mitidieri/Getty Images
Iraqi anti-aircraft fire lights up the sky over Baghdad on January 18, 1991, as US and allied forces launch aerial attacks on the city. The Gulf War was a pivotal event for the Middle East, and also for CNN, which brought live 24-hour coverage from the front lines of the conflict to American audiences.
Iraqi anti-aircraft fire lights up the sky over Baghdad on January 18, 1991, as US and allied forces launch aerial attacks on the city. The Gulf War was a pivotal event for the Middle East, and also for CNN, which brought live 24-hour coverage from the front lines of the conflict to American audiences.
Dominique Mollard/AP
CNN host Larry King gets his makeup touched up during a commercial break while interviewing billionaire and third party presidential candidate Ross Perot in 1992.
CNN host Larry King gets his makeup touched up during a commercial break while interviewing billionaire and third party presidential candidate Ross Perot in 1992.
Shelly Katz/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
In one of the most memorable moments of a blockbuster murder trial in June 1995, O.J. Simpson struggled to fit his hand into a glove prosecutors claimed he wore the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were killed. The prosecution's request to have Simpson try the gloves on in court was a pivotal moment in the trial, which ended with the former NFL star's acquittal.
In one of the most memorable moments of a blockbuster murder trial in June 1995, O.J. Simpson struggled to fit his hand into a glove prosecutors claimed he wore the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were killed. The prosecution's request to have Simpson try the gloves on in court was a pivotal moment in the trial, which ended with the former NFL star's acquittal.
Sam Mircovich/Pool/AP
CNN's website, initially called CNN Interactive, launched on August 30, 1995.
CNN's website, initially called CNN Interactive, launched on August 30, 1995.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
In 1997, CNN's Peter Bergen, right, produced the first-ever TV interview with Osama Bin Laden. During the segment, the al Qaeda leader declared war on the United States.
In 1997, CNN's Peter Bergen, right, produced the first-ever TV interview with Osama Bin Laden. During the segment, the al Qaeda leader declared war on the United States.
CNN
CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour examines a crater left by a US bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, in December 1998.
CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour examines a crater left by a US bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, in December 1998.
Scott Peterson/Getty Images
US President Bill Clinton is interviewed by CNN's Wolf Blitzer in the Oval Office of the White House on February 14, 2000. It was the first time an interview with a president was broadcast live on CNN.com. Viewers around the world were able to submit questions.
US President Bill Clinton is interviewed by CNN's Wolf Blitzer in the Oval Office of the White House on February 14, 2000. It was the first time an interview with a president was broadcast live on CNN.com. Viewers around the world were able to submit questions.
Ralph Alswang/AFP/Getty Images
A person in Guatemala City watches the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. CNN was the first cable news channel to break the news of the attacks.
A person in Guatemala City watches the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. CNN was the first cable news channel to break the news of the attacks.
Andrea Nieto/Getty Images
TV audiences around the world watched as US troops pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad in April 2003. Weeks earlier, coalition forces began military action against Hussein's regime in Iraq.
TV audiences around the world watched as US troops pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad in April 2003. Weeks earlier, coalition forces began military action against Hussein's regime in Iraq.
Jerome Delay/AP
Anderson Cooper covers the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. "It's a horrible story to cover," an emotional Cooper<a href="https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/14301/" target="_blank" target="_blank"> told New York magazine.</a> "Frankly, I feel privileged to be here."
Anderson Cooper covers the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. "It's a horrible story to cover," an emotional Cooper told New York magazine. "Frankly, I feel privileged to be here."
Radhika Chalasani for CNN
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent and practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta treated patients and performed surgeries while in Haiti to cover the 2010 earthquake.
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent and practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta treated patients and performed surgeries while in Haiti to cover the 2010 earthquake.
Jonathan Torgovnik/Reportage by Getty Images for CNN
Britain's Prince William kisses his new wife, Catherine, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in April 2011. The wedding was watched by millions around the world.
Britain's Prince William kisses his new wife, Catherine, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in April 2011. The wedding was watched by millions around the world.
Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Republican US presidential candidates debate in September 2015 in front of President Ronald Reagan's Air Force One at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Republican US presidential candidates debate in September 2015 in front of President Ronald Reagan's Air Force One at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from Aleppo, Syria, in February 2016. The assignment took Ward to places almost no Western journalists had visited in over a year. The team traveled undercover with Ward wearing the niqab, a black veil that covers the entire face except for a small slit at the eyes. "We wanted to see for ourselves what life is like under the bombs," Ward said.
CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from Aleppo, Syria, in February 2016. The assignment took Ward to places almost no Western journalists had visited in over a year. The team traveled undercover with Ward wearing the niqab, a black veil that covers the entire face except for a small slit at the eyes. "We wanted to see for ourselves what life is like under the bombs," Ward said.
CNN
Anthony Bourdain shares a meal with US President Barack Obama in Vietnam while filming "Parts Unknown" in May 2016. Bourdain tweeted that the total cost of their meal was $6 -- and he picked up the bill.
Anthony Bourdain shares a meal with US President Barack Obama in Vietnam while filming "Parts Unknown" in May 2016. Bourdain tweeted that the total cost of their meal was $6 -- and he picked up the bill.
Zero Point Zero for CNN
A White House staff member reaches for the microphone held by CNN's Jim Acosta as he questions Trump during a news conference in November 2018. Later that day, in a stunning break with protocol, the White House said that it was suspending Acosta's press pass "until further notice." A federal judge later ordered the White House to return Acosta's press pass.
A White House staff member reaches for the microphone held by CNN's Jim Acosta as he questions Trump during a news conference in November 2018. Later that day, in a stunning break with protocol, the White House said that it was suspending Acosta's press pass "until further notice." A federal judge later ordered the White House to return Acosta's press pass.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
CNN journalist Omar Jimenez is taken into police custody during a live broadcast at the site of protests in Minneapolis early on May 29, 2020. Jimenez's crew, including a producer and a camera operator, were also placed in handcuffs. They have since been released from custody. Protesters were rallying after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after pleading for help as a police officer pinned him -- unarmed and handcuffed -- to the ground.
CNN journalist Omar Jimenez is taken into police custody during a live broadcast at the site of protests in Minneapolis early on May 29, 2020. Jimenez's crew, including a producer and a camera operator, were also placed in handcuffs. They have since been released from custody. Protesters were rallying after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after pleading for help as a police officer pinned him -- unarmed and handcuffed -- to the ground.
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