1960: ABC Breaks New TV Ground with 'The Flintstones'
On this day in 1960, ABC introduced The Flintstones, TV's most popular Stone Age family. Television's first prime-time animated sitcom, created by Hanna-Barbera, centered around quarry worker Fred Flintstone, his wife, Wilma, and their neighbors (and best friends) Barney and Betty Rubble. (During the show's run each family had a child. Pebbles was born to the Flintstones in the third season. The Rubbles adopted a son, Bamm-Bamm, in the fourth.)
Despite its prehistoric setting — complete with dinosaurs and man-powered machines — the half-hour show placed the characters in modern-day scenarios, dealing with workplace issues and maintaining marital harmony. The groundbreaking series ran six years.