by Laura Hinds

Created on: May 13, 2009   Last Updated: May 14, 2009

As a young toddler at my Mom's knee, I was first introduced to "General Hospital" when it really revolved around the hospital itself. Dr. Steve Hardy ran the hospital and was the patriarch of the cast. His lady love, Audrey March, was a stewardess, and hop scotched around the country traveling. Back in the day, stewardesses were required to be Registered Nurses. When Audrey settled down, naturally she got a job at General Hospital, where her sister, Lucille was Head Nurse.

In those early years (General Hospital first aired April 1, 1963), the show revolved around the love lives and medical crisis faced by the staff. Dr. Hardy's tiny office was a hotbed of activity since it was located right by the famed 7th floor nursing station, and his staff felt free to come to him with any problems.

By the 1970s, times were changing and so were soap operas. Kidnappings, murders, psychotic breakdowns, false identities and more replaced more common issues such as infidelity or surprise pregnancies and miscarriages. The 1970s even heralded the short term role of Nurse Jessie Brewer's nephew, Kent Murray, who was played by Mark Hamill who went on to become Luke Skywalker in Star Wars!

The phenomenon known as "Luke and Laura" started in 1979, and on some level continues to this day, in 2009. Their wedding brought Elizabeth Taylor, a long time fan of the show, on to guest star as Helena Cassadine! Luke and Laura ruled as King and Queen of not just General Hospital, but of Daytime Drama for many years, despite both Anthony Geary (Luke) and Genie Francis (Laura) leaving the show at one time or another, together or apart several times.

The 1980s went along with more of the Mob related story lines that began when Luke Spencer blew into town. There were spies, plans to freeze the world, secret Aztec treasures and mysteries galore. It was a world that viewers could escape into for excitement, drama, and heart wrenching love stories.

The show opened the eyes of viewers who saw illnesses never before seen in depth- brain tumors, heart transplants, and by 1995, a major character who was HIV positive. That character, a young man named Stone, did die a tragic death on our screens- but not before he passed the illness to the beloved teen, Robin Scorpio.

These days, the show is ruled by violence and more mob activity than ever. When we do see the hospital, it is usually for a miracle recovery of one sort or another. Not too long ago, lady lawyer Alexis Davis, was very

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