At the stroke of midnight on this day in 1981, cofounder John Lack launched MTV with the iconic video Video Killed the Radio Star by the British band the Buggles.

Music was never the same.

“We just had this cool idea we wanted to put on television,” explained John Sykes, who began as promotions director and later became president of VH1. MTV's vision was the marriage of rock and TV—“the greatest forces in American culture.”

The world’s first five VJs—Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, Nina Blackwell, and Martha Quinn—became cultural icons. “We had the grooviest jobs ever,” recalled Hunter.

Many auditioned to be on-air talent in the ’80s. Some surprising famous rejections: Rosie O’Donnell, Adam Sandler, Mary Lou Retton, Chris Rock, and Greg Kinnear.

MTV revolutionized the music industry, launched the career of Madonna, and changed how rock stars connected with fans. With its 24-hour video stream and median viewer age under 21, it was the fastest-growing cable network of all time.