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MTV -

Originally called Music Television, the vision of the channel was to target younger audiences with music videos.

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MTV -

Its music video programming has progressively died out throughout the years, favoring reality shows, comedies and dramas. But MTV did leave its mark on a whole generation, and is still relevant in popular culture.

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First video - 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles was the first music video to be aired on MTV.

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Most-played video of all time - 'Sledgehammer' by Peter Gabriel is the most-played video on MTV ever.

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The birth of the VJ - Video jockeys, better known as VJs, were the new stars of MTV. The five original VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and J.J. Jackson (not pictured).

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"I want my MTV" - The classic MTV slogan was used by Dire Straits in their 1985 song 'Money for Nothing.'

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Michael Jackson - Jackson initially struggled to get played on MTV, but 'Billy Jean' eventually received airtime and it was a hit.  

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David Bowie - David Bowie confronted MTV's lack of black artists during a live interview in 1983.

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Pop -

MTV was a huge platform for the success of '80s pop acts such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. Elaborate video productions now were on heavy rotation on the channel.

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Hair metal -

Glam metal bands had it all in the '80s: the music, the makeup, the hair, and the show. Shows like 'Headbangers Ball' were a hit.

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Hip hop - But while rock and metal acts dominated the charts, the mid-1980s also saw the introduction of rap artists such as Run-DMC and Beastie Boys.

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'Yo! MTV Raps' - As part of niche programming, MTV gave hip-hop acts a place to showcase their talent.

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Grunge - After years dominating MTV, in the early '90s hair metal bands were overthrown by a rock genre that was eventually labeled as grunge. Alternative rock became the mainstream.

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Video Music Awards - The VMAs have been a huge success since the first edition in 1984. It's marked by a number of controversial moments, and is the channel's most-watched event.

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Video Music Awards - Based on the original MTV opening sequence, the 'Moon Person' (previously known as a 'Moonman') is the award trophy of the VMAs.

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Live performance at the VMAs - Madonna performed 'Like A Virgin' at the first edition of the VMAs.

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MTV Movie & TV Awards - While the VMAs are huge, this awards show has also earned a place in the industry. 

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Pop stars - MTV catapulted a number of teen stars, including many boy and girl bands, into fame. New teen pop idols were everywhere in the '90s, and MTV helped their careers immensely.

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'Spring Break' - In 1986, MTV started to broadcast its live event for a week, eight hours per day.

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Censorship - Groups such as the Parents Music Resource Center pressured MTV to ban a number of videos because they depicted anti-religious themes, including satanism. Soundgarden's 'Jesus Christ Pose' was one of the banned videos.

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When rock ruled the world - Underground thrash metal bands such as Metallica gained notoriety thanks to MTV.

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Eminem - MTV was crucial in catapulting hip hop to the mainstream in the turn of the century. Rappers such as Eminem became huge at the time.

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Return of metal -

The late '90s and early 2000s saw the uprising of nu-metal bands such as Limp Bizkit and Korn, bringing metal back to a mainstream audience.

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'MTV Unplugged' - Many of these sessions were turned into live records, including those by Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, and '90s grunge acts such as Nirvana and Alice in Chains, among many others.

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'TRL' - One of MTV's most iconic shows, 'Total Request Live' started in 1998 and ran until 2008. It was eventually brought back to life in 2017 and continues to this day.

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Adult cartoons - The early '90s saw MTV introducing a number of adult-themed cartoons, including  'Celebrity Deathmatch' and the classic 'Beavis and Butt-Head.'

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'The Osbournes' - In the mid-90s, MTV started introducing reality shows. In 2002, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and his family had a camera crew following them 24/7. The show was a hit.

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'Jersey Shore' - MTV continued to abandon the music video programming with the introduction of more shows, including the successful 'Jersey Shore.'

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Prince tribute -

The day Prince passed away, MTV interrupted its normal programming to air the artist's music videos.

See also: Hit songs you didn't know were written by Prince

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