"Baywatch" at 20

April 23, 2009

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Profile America — Thursday, April 23rd. It may be hard to believe, but the television show “Baywatch” was first aired 20 years ago today. The program, set on a California beach for its first 10 years, and for its final two years in Hawaii, centered around a group of lifeguards, featuring David Hasselhoff and a cast of good-looking young men and women. “Baywatch” became a very popular show, especially overseas, and it is estimated that more than a billion people in 142 countries saw the program each week. The plots had the lifeguards deal with earthquakes, shark attacks, and even serial killers. Most lifeguards concentrate on saving people in trouble in the water. In the U.S., some 3,600 people drown each year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 230
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 113
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html