#onthisday in 1989, the first episode of The Simpsons aired on television. The Simpsons was created by cartoonist Matt Groening, and was initially conceptualized as a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. Groening, inspired by his own family, created a satirical portrayal of a working-class American family living in the fictional town of Springfield. The central characters included the bumbling but lovable father, Homer; the nurturing and practical mother, Marge; and thei