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Events on Saturday 1 August 1981 2
1923 – 1981Paddy Chayefsky (1923-1981)Died 1 August 1981, aged 58American screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, the only person to win three solo Academy Awards for screenwriting, died in New York City on 1 August 1981. He wrote Marty, The Hospital, and Network, the last a scathing satire of television news that proved prophetic. His 1976 Network screenplay is widely regarded as one of the finest in film history.
1981MTV launchesMusic Television begins broadcasting in the United StatesMTV began broadcasting on American cable television on 1 August 1981, opening with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll" and the video for The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star". The channel built a 24-hour format around music videos and reshaped the marketing of pop music.