Ellen History

On this day in 1965, Ellen came in second place in her first grade macaroni art contest. (She lost to a girl who used glitter, thus starting Ellen's lifelong anti-glitter crusade.)

On this day in 1998, Ellen won a Brownies Good Citizenship badge for helping an old lady across the street. The old lady hadn't planned on crossing the street, but Ellen was insistent.

On this day in 2004, The Ellen DeGeneres Show wons its first Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show. Ellen would go on to win the award again in 2005, 2006 and 2007! This year, she has been nominated for 8 Emmy Awards.

On this day in 1960, Ellen gets her first pair of P.F. Flyer sneakers. She is so excited, she pulls herself up using the bars on her crib and does her first dance.

On this day in 1963, Ellen incorporates a coffee table for the first time in one of her dance routines. (She dances under it.)

On this day in 1976, Ellen almost wore sneakers to her prom, but at the last minute decided to wear her platform clogs to match her plaid prom dress. Her date, Richard Reynolds, complemented her nicely with his white platform disco shoes.

On this day in 2004, Ellen auctioned off several pairs of her sneakers on eBay to benefit The Amanda Foundation. The auction was wildly successful. If you'd like to help pets in need by donating to The Amanda Foundation, go to amandafoundation.org.

On this day in 1965, in spite of tripping on her jump rope, Ellen continues to jump rope and play hopscotch on her front steps.

On this day in 1972, after whacking her thumb in shop class, Ellen continues to finish making her bird house.

On this day in 2007, despite severely injuring her back, Ellen continues to host the show from a hospital bed!

On March 18th 1970, Ellen attaches playing cards onto the fork of her bike with clothespins, leans back in her banana seat with the sissy bar, and pops one of the wickedest wheelies her street has ever seen.

On March 18th 1981, (during Ellen's "Circus Years") Ellen falls off of her 6-foot high unicycle while performing her juggling fire routine and just barely misses getting mauled by a lion and several midgets in a tiny car.

On March 18th 2004, Jim Carrey rides a bicycle around the Ellen stage, and falls off, creating one of the most memorable moments ever on the show.

On this day in 1965, Ellen gets in trouble for making a paper plane out of her math test and throwing it out the window.

On this day in 1979, Ellen attends her 1st grade reunion. She gets stuck while sitting in her old desk and her teacher has to call the fire department to get her out.

On this day in 2006, Ellen hosts her 30-year high school reunion - and flies all her classmates out to LA!

On this day in 1967, Ellen sings the 50 states song for her class. No one notices that she adds South Virginia as one of the states and forgets to include Ohio.

On this day in 2006, 3 year old Isabella Natallini cracks Ellen up when she sings “The 50 States Song,” It becomes one of the most beloved moments from the show.

On this day in 1958, at 1:38 PM, at the Ochsner Hospital in Metairie Louisiana, Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born. The clouds parted, birds could be heard singing and a rainbow was seen for miles.

On this day in 1967, Ellen got a bicycle for her birthday. She wanted a pony. Ellen ended up naming her bicycle Mr. Ed and could be seen pretending to feed it carrots in it's stall in the garage.

On this day in 2006, President William Jefferson Clinton made a surprise video appearance on Ellen's show and wished her a sincere happy birthday.

On this day in 2008, Ellen is celebrating a very happy 50th birthday. She was very touched and was seen yesterday thanking everyone for making it so special.

Sept. 14, 2004: Paris Hilton gives Ellen a lesson on how to walk a runway!

Sept. 8, 2003: “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” premieres! Jennifer Aniston is Ellen’s first guest!