Milton Berle is Born

Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an Emmy-winning American comedian and actor.

As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater (1948–55), in 1948 he was the first major star of US television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr. Television to millions during TV's golden age.

Texaco Star Theater was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1948 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Milton Berle the nickname "Mr. Television".

It originated in the late 1930s with a popular radio comedy series starring Ed Wynn. The classic 1940-44 program, hosted by radio's Fred Allen, was followed by a radio series on ABC (the former NBC Blue) in the spring of 1948. When Texaco (now Chevron Corporation) first took it to television on NBC on June 8, 1948, the show had a huge cultural impact.