On Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 AM Eastern Time, MTV was launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by John Lack and played over footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown of Columbia (which took place earlier that year) and of the launch of Apollo 11.
Pada hari Sabtu, 1 Agustus 1981, pada pukul 00:01 Waktu Timur, MTV diluncurkan dengan kalimat "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," diucapkan oleh John Lack, dan dimainkan pada rekaman hitung mundur peluncuran Space Shuttle Columbia yang pertama, yang berlangsung awal tahun itu, dan peluncuran Apollo 11.