JERRY LEWIS MDA TELETHON

First broadcast over Labor Day weekend in 1966 by just one TV station in New York City, the unique event starring popular comedian Jerry Lewis quickly caught the public's attention - and raised more than $1 million. Now the show will be broadcast on 180 MDA "Love Network" stations across the country.

In 1998, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon made history as the first telethon seen around the world via Internet simulcast, hosted by RealNetworks on MDA's Web site.

An "interactive" show long before the computer age popularized the term, the Telethon's drama comes from the ever-increasing fundraising total posted on the tote board - by hand in 1966, now electronically. Jerry's goal of raising "one dollar more" than the previous year's amount has been more than met almost every year, thanks to the generosity and compassion of the American public. In 2008, the total was $65 million.