April 9th, 1949
Comedian Milton Berle is credited with hosting the first telethon, which NBC broadcasted from 12 p.m. on April 9, 1949, to 3:55 a.m. on April 10th. The 16-hour telecast raised about $1,100,000 — more than $11 million in today\'s dollars — for the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, named after the journalist and short-story writer.
