MTV turns 30 today. How old! Also how historic; in three decades, the network revolutionized media, turned heads inside and out, and struggled to remain relevant. But one thing should be obvious now: it was never just about music.

Shortly after midnight on August 1st, 1981, MTV enjoyed its first-ever broadcast, accompanied by the now- iconic spot featuring the 1969 launch of Apollo 11. Iconic and appropriate; music television was space age stuff, so naturally Buzz Aldrin would stand reverently beside that first MTV logo. And as sad as it's been to see MTV lose sway to the power of YouTube and VeVo, they've done a great deal for our little corner of the techno-media world.