What the Primetime Emmy Awards Looked Like the Year You Were Born

The Primetime Emmy Awards has been a television staple for over 70 years now. The honor, which began in 1949, has celebrated the most beloved classics to grace the small screen. From TV institutions like I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Saturday Night Live, to contemporary classics such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Big Little Lies, we love to binge them, so let's look back at television's finest.

The 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards air live on ABC, Sunday, September 20, at 8 PM EST.

The cameras get set in place for the 1st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which were held at the Hollywood Athletic Club on January 25, 1949.

California Governor Earl Warren awards Ralph Edwards and his wife Barbara for the game show Truth or Consequences.

Anne Jeffreys (star of Topper and wife of Twilight Zone's Rob Sterling) holds her Emmy Award as she poses next to late-night comedian Ed Sullivan and Maxine Elliott.

Academy Award nominee Anne Blyth (Mildred Pierce) and musician Jerry Colonna have a blast at the Emmys ceremony.

Lucille Ball accepts the award for Best Comedienne for her work on I Love Lucy. The program was a television fixture throughout its six-season run from 1951–1957, and brought home four Emmys.

Stars Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball both kiss Desi Arnaz as they celebrate the success of I Love Lucy. Vance took home the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in 1954, while the show won Best Situation Comedy.

Walt Disney poses with his Emmy Award in Los Angeles, California. He collected the honor for Most Outstanding New Personality.

Famed director and master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, attends the 8th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards with his wife, Alma.

A row of photographers capture Emmy-winner Jack Palance (Playhouse 60) posing with his trophy. He took home the award for Best Single Performance.

Comedian Eddie Cantor shakes the hand of Twilight Zone creator and Emmy-winner Rod Serling. The mystery anthology series collected three Emmys during its original run.

Actor Charlton Heston smirks as he holds his Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in Studio One in Hollywood.

Fred Astaire looks on as Charlton Heston (Touch of Evil, Ben-Hur, Planet of the Apes) presents the award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie.

Newly minted Emmy-winner Barbara Stanwyck has the back of her gown sewn after ripping it as she left her seat to collect her award for Outstanding Lead Actress.

The cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show celebrate their Emmy win. The hit series won 14 Emmys during its five season run, and launched a successful spin-off, The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Jane Fonda and Richard Chamberlain arrive at the Emmy Awards. Throughout her illustrious career, Fonda has received five Emmy nominations and one win.

The King Sisters, a popular vocal group of the time, are all smiles as they pose with Carl Reiner at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Barbra Streisand shows off her Emmy victory. She earned the trophy for her television special My Name is Barbra.

Actress Betty White and her husband, television personality Allen Ludden, flash a smile at the camera as they enjoy the ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium. At the time, White was a frequent guest on many game shows, including What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, and To Tell the Truth.

Actress/comedian Lucille Ball uses her glasses to read the program as stand-up comedian Gary Morton enjoys a cigarette.

The crowd gives a round of applause for Carol Burnett as she walks up to the Emmy stage. The actress, best known for her variety series The Carol Burnett Show, won six Emmys throughout her career.

Socialite Pat Buckley and author William Buckley attend the Primetime Emmy Awards held at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

English television personality David Frost at the Emmy Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The British media personality famously interviewed the likes of John Lennon and Richard Nixon.

Shirley Jones and David Cassidy smile at each other as Jack Cassidy looks on. Shirley and David both starred in the popular musical sitcom The Partridge Family.

Talk show host Johnny Carson poses next to his Emmy statue. Carson hosted the ceremony four times during his career.

Johnny Carson and Richard Chamberlain chat it up on the stage at the Shubert Theatre. The legendary late-night comedian won four Emmys during his time as the Tonight Show host.

Actress/comedian Lily Tomlin poses with her dual Emmy trophies that she received for her self-titled special, Lily.

Tony Randall, Flip Wilson, and Valerie Harper pose together in the Emmy press room. They won for their roles in The Odd Couple, The Flip Wilson Show, and Rhoda, respectively.

The stars of The Mary Tyler Moore Show are all smiles as they celebrate their Emmy victory. The show ran for seven seasons and won a whopping 29 Emmys.

Actress Brenda Dickson (of The Young and the Restless) arrives at the Emmy Awards set at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

The stars of Three's Company arrive in style at the Emmy ceremony in Pasadena, California. The show eventually landed star John Ritter with an Emmy in 1984.

"Whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?" The famous line uttered by Diffrent Strokes actor, Gary Oldman (pictured here posing for photographers), shot the young performer to stardom.

The producers of Taxi, along with Dick and Tom Smothers, gather backstage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The series collected 18 Emmys throughout its five season run.

Mickey Mouse makes an appearance at the awards ceremony as Annette Funicello (the original Mouseketeer) smiles for the cameras.

Comedian Milton Berle and Martha Ray perform a small bit as they present an award.

A crowd of fans watch as Magnum P.I. star Tom Selleck makes a surprised face at the camera. The actor eventually won the Lead Actor Emmy in 1984.

Joan Collins arrives at the 36th Annual Emmy Awards with her husband and daughter in tow. She was nominated for her role in Dynasty.

David Letterman collects his first Writing for a Variety Program Award for his new late-night talker. He's collected five trophies throughout his career as a host.

Television's favorite Golden Girls were all awarded with Emmy acting trophies for their respective roles on the show–Betty White in 1986, Rue McClanahan in 1987, Bea Arthur in 1988, and Estelle Getty in 1988.

Charlotte Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Tony Danza are gleeful inside the Emmy press room.

Who's the Boss? star Tony Danza holds a slew of Emmy statues. The hit comedy series ran from 1984-1992.

Muppets puppeteer Jim Henson and show producer Joan Ganz strike a pose at the Emmy ceremony held at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City.

The cast of Cheers–Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, and Parker Stevenson–arrive at the Emmy red carpet. The show won a total of 28 Emmys and received 117 nominations during its impressive 11 season run.

The young stars of Beverly Hills, 90210–Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, and Luke Perry–gather together for a photo. The popular show only received one Emmy nomination during its run - a recognition in the Outstanding Guest Actor category for Milton Berle.

Burt Reynolds waves to fans as he arrives at the Emmy Awards. The actor was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in the show Evening Shade.

Will Smith and then-wife Sheree Smith pose on the red carpet as they arrive at the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. His series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, although popular, never won any Primetime Emmys.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres attends the ceremony at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The television personality has hosted the Emmys three times.

Television host Bob Barker holds two Emmy statues at Radio City Music Hall. In total, the beloved television host has 15 Emmys.

Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella attend the Primetime Emmys at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium together. To date, Goldberg has received nine Primetime Emmy nominations and zero wins.

Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy the Vampire Slayer strikes a pose on the red carpet. Buffy was a pop culture phenomenon for the duration of its seven season run, which ended in 2003. The show took home three Emmys, all in the creative hair and make-up categories.

Emmy nominee Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, arrive at the red carpet of the 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Hanks has won a total of six Emmys for his role as a producer on several hit shows.

The stars of Sex and the City–Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, and Kristin Davis–present an award. The show had just wrapped its second season, eventually landing seven Emmy wins during its entire six season run.

Legendary Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels poses alongside Ken Among, Michael Shoemaker, and Marci Klein.

Barbra Streisand performs for the audience several weeks after the 9/11 attacks. Attendees wore black to honor the fallen.

The cast and crew of NBC's Friends gather on stage to accept the award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The beloved sitcom garnered 62 nominations and six wins during its time on the air.

The cast of Everybody Loves Raymond celebrates their win for Outstanding Comedy Series - an honor the series received twice.

The producers behind HBO's The Sopranos pose backstage at the Shrine Auditorium. The show collected 18 Emmys during its six season run.

The Blue Man Group perform on stage at the Shrine Auditorium.

Conan O'Brien performs an opening dance number as he hosts the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Funnymen Jon Stewart, Steve Carell, and Stephen Colbert perform a skit on the stage of the Shrine Auditorium.

Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh, stars of the hit show Grey's Anatomy, pose together for a photo. The medical drama has won four Emmys throughout its 16 season run.

The cast of AMC's prestige drama series Mad Men pose at the entrance of the Nokia Theatre. The show collected eight Emmys throughout its seven season run.

The cast of ABC's Modern Family gathered in the press room after the show won Outstanding Comedy Series. The sitcom ran for ten seasons, ending in 2020.

Glenn Close flashes a big smile on the red carpet. The actress has received 14 Emmy nominations and three wins across her lengthy career. Two of which were for her role in Damages, which aired 2008-2012.

Tom Hanks accepts the Emmy on behalf of the team behind the HBO political drama Game Change, for which he served as an executive producer.

The actress/comedian duo Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Rec) stumble on stage as they present an award at the Nokia Theatre.

Actors Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden share a kiss at the Emmy Awards held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Cranston starred on the hit AMC series Breaking Bad for five seasons.

TV personality Jon Stewart and the writers behind The Daily Show with Jon Stewart celebrate their win for Outstanding Variety Talk Series.

Actors Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, and Gaten Matarazzo, of the Netflix hit Stranger Things, perform on stage.

HBO's Big Little Lies captured big ratings and even bigger awards. The show became a water cooler moment and collected eight Emmy awards.

The stars of Queer Eye dazzle the red carpet. The Netflix reboot took home four Emmys that night, including one for Outstanding Structured Reality Program.

The Game of Thrones cast celebrates their win for Outstanding Drama Series. The HBO fantasy series garnered a record-breaking 32 nominations for its final season in 2019. Peter Dinklage also collected a trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in the series.