WQLN NPR first signed on the air in 1973. On August 2nd of that year, the USSR’s cultural newspaper, the Sovietskaya Kultura (Soviet SKY ya Call TUR ah) wrote that Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and other Sesame Street characters are agents of neocolonialism and imperialism and part of an American plot to reshape the minds of Russian children.
This Day in History is presented by Chronicles, nominated for seven Emmy awards, and available online at WQLN.org and on the PBS app Passport.