11/24/78	Dave first appears on the Tonight show.
2/01/82	first episode of Late Night with David Letterman
2/04/82	Stupid Pet Tricks premiere
1/03/84	The Conspiracy Guy - last episode
2/22/84	Reverse Image Show
3/27/84	2nd Custom Show
9/06/84	The Suit of Alka Seltzer®
9/11/84	Dog Poetry
10/15/84	The Guy Under the Seats premieres
12/84	Kenny the Gardener's first visit
1/26/85	NBC 3rd Anniversary Special
2/14/85	Jungle Jack Hanna's first visit
2/14/85	The Human Sponge
5/13/85	Los Angeles shows
6/12/85	the Late Night Anthem
6/16/85	Thrill Cam first used
June '85	goodbye to the old wood desk
7/23/85	first stereo broadcast
7/31/85	Miss Humidity crowned
8/19/85	Dave annoys the Today show with a bullhorn. The feud with Bryant Gumbel begins.
9/18/85	first Top Ten list
9/22/85	an Emmy for writing
11/20/85	"Too Tired to Do a Show" (from the 14th floor)
11/21/85	The Fugitive Guy - last episode
11/26/85	Japanese Show
11/30/85	David Letterman's Holiday Film Festival
11/30/85	the WMDB's "Dress Cool" video premieres
12/12/85	first Guest Cam (Tom Hanks)
12/18/85	first Band Cam
2/01/86	NBC 4th Anniversary Special
2/12/86	Larry "Bud" Melman looks for defectors outside the Soviet Mission.
2/17/86	Chris Elliott as Gerard Mulligan's baby
2/17/86	Lip-Synced Show
2/25/86	Parents' Night (from 14th floor)
3/19/86	LNMC2 Premiere (monkey cam)
4/03/86	the actor-singer dies
4/08/86	G. E. corporate handshake
5/05/86	Anton Fig's first day as a regular
5/14/86	the Neanderthal skull on wheels
5/21/86	Jack Coleman & Morgan Brittany provide color commentary
6/16 to 8/21/86	shows taped in studio 8H
6/27/86	Dave appears on Tonight (with Judge Wapner) to settle the dispute with Johnny Carson over Dave's junky pick-up.
7/15/86	Confetti Cannon - first appears
7/15/86	Relief Host (Bridget Jackson)
8/07/86	Dave answers Colleen Boyle's "Viewer Mail" letter in person.
9/21/86	Dave hosts the Emmy awards.
9/21/86	an Emmy for writing
10/30/86	Jack Hanna's camels' humps break the ceiling tiles
11/05/86	Late Night Cow Cam
11/12/86	Mr. November
11/25/86	the Suit of Magnets
11/28/86	2nd David Letterman's Holiday Film Festival
12/08/86	"Hungry Are the Damned" by the Peace through Dramatization Players
12/22/86	Julia Child cooks with a blowtorch
1/05/87	Home Office moves to Scottsdale, Arizona
2/07/87	NBC 5th Anniversary Special
3/19/87	360° Thrill Cam Plus
6/12/87	first Friday show
8/04/87	Barry Sand's last day as producer of LNDL
8/05/87	Robert Morton's first day as producer
9/15/87	The Dancing Waters are now The Prancing Fluids
9/20/87	an Emmy for writing
9/21/87	Rerun Plus
9/29/87	Paul Shaffer's Prancing Fluids, Jr. - first appearance
10/28/87	Tom Jones sings the theme for "Supermarket Finds"
11/13/87	Sonny and Cher sing "I've Got You Babe"
11/18/87	first visit with the pregnant Connie Plesco
11/20/87	first real glass in the set windows
11/20/87	The Suit of Rice Krispies®
12/25/87	Christmas Show (with Connie Chung, Ted Nugent and the Doodletown Pipers
1/05/88	Home Office moves to Lincoln, Nebraska
1/05/88	Late Night Bubble Machines - first appearance
1/19/88	first Dave's Lumberyard Finds
2/04/88	Chris Elliott, Jr. Show - premiere
2/04/88	NBC 6th Anniversary Special
3/01/88	Camera Night (14 cameras instead of 4)
3/07/88	beginning of a 16-week writers' strike
6/28/88	first new show after the writers' strike
6/29/88	Hal Gurnee's Network Time Killer - premiere
7/05/88	Late Night with David Letterman Show #1000
7/12/88	Late Night Fig Cam - first used
9/06/88	Toast Launcher - first used
11/04/88	Henry Mancini conducts his Viewer Mail theme
11/11/88	beginning of Calvert DeForest's Pan American Tour
11/29/88	Jumpsuit Night
12/22/88	Elf Night
2/01/89	Home Office moves to Oklahoma City
2/02/89	NBC 7th Anniversary Special
2/10/89	Chris Elliott as a barking desk maggot
4/04/89	first show in Dolby®
6/07/89	Late Night Crash Cam - first used
6/07/89	William F. Buckley, Jr. stands in for Paul
1/30/90	Home Office moves to Lebanon, Pennsylvania
2/01/90	NBC 8th Anniversary Special
3/03/90	Viewer Mail assisted by the Unimation® Puma 206 robotic arm
5/02/90	Dave calls Johnny Carson and has him fax a joke.
10/05/90	retirement of the Unimation® Puma 206 robotic arm
1/16/91	the only show never aired (Gulf War coverage pre-empted it after taping)
6/11/91	Andrea Sande's first appearance
8/25/91	Hal Gurnee wins an Emmy for directing
2/06/92	NBC 10th Anniversary Special
3/19/92	Home Office moves to Tahlequah, Oklahoma
1/14/93	Dave announces he's leaving Late Night
4/07/93	Paul's daughter, Victoria Lilly, is born
5/07/93	Home Office now in Oneonta, New York
6/25/93	last new Late Night with David Letterman
8/30/93	first Late Show with David Letterman
8/30/93	Home Office now in Sioux City, Iowa
9/10/93	last Late Night with David Letterman repeat shown on NBC
9/20/93	Rupert Jee's first appearance (comes in for a standing ovation)
11/11/93	Dave calls Johnny Carson for permission to do Stump the Band
11/22/93	Mujibur Rahman's and Sirajul Islam's first appearance
12/16/93	Nadine Hennelly's first appearance
12/23/93	Pete Fatovich retires (sort of)
6/10/94	Mujibur and Sirajul's Coast-to-Coast Tour begins
11/21/94	Prime Time Special #1
5/15/95	a week of London shows
5/19/95	Dave's mom Dorothy's first visit to the set
5/26/95	Hal Gurnee retires as director
6/05/95	Jerry Foley's first day as director
6/12/95	Home Office now in Grand Rapids, Michigan
8/18/95	Bill Wendell retires as announcer
9/04/95	Alan Kalter's first day as announcer
2/19/96	Prime Time Special #2
5/03/96	Home Office moves to Wahoo, Nebraska
8/29/96	first compilation repeat
9/20/96	Commercial-Free Show
11/25/96	first issue of the Wahoo Gazette
2/24/97	Prime Time Special #3
4/25/97	Indianapolis Night (first show with an audience from one city)
5/01/98	Paul's head is shaved for LSDL episode #1000.
5/01/98	Late Show episode #1000
11/23/98	Prime Time Special #4 / CBS 5th Anniversary Special
3/29/99	premiere of "Know Your Cuts of Meat"
9/16/99	NADINE AND ANDREA'S FIRST HI HO DUTY
1/14/00	Dave has quadruple bypass surgery
2/07/00	Backstage #1 (Dave's home recovering.)
2/21/00	Dave returns to television!
12/19/00	Tusla, Bosnia show for Task Force Eagle
6/25/01	premiere of "Is This Anything?"
9/17/01	Dave's first show after 9/11/01
2/01/02	20th Anniversary Show (NBC + CBS years combined)
2/06/02	premiere of "Will It Float?"
6/07/02	Paul's Cape Thing - premiere (David Letterman on cape)
2/26/03	GH7 / Dave's bout with shingles begins.
3/31/03	Dave returns to the Late Show.
4/08/03	Jude Brennan's first day as executive producer
6/06/03	GH21 / Dave tries taking Fridays off.
8/29/03	CBS 10th Anniversary observed tonight
9/02/03	first appearance of the Late Show bear
11/03/03	GH25 / Paul Hosts. Harry Joseph Letterman is born
12/24/03	Dave, Paul and Biff quietly go to Afghanistan to entertain U. S. troops.
12/24/04	Dave, Paul and Biff quietly go to Afghanistan to entertain U. S. troops.
5/10/05	premiere of "Ape or Artist?"
8/29/05	first episode in High Definition
10/03/05	last appearance of the Late Show bear
12/01/05	Oprah Winfrey appears on the Late Show for the first time in 16.5 years.
4/30/06	premiere of "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches"
5/10/06	premiere of "Late Show Fun Facts"
11/05/07	Writers Guild of America strike begins.
1/02/08	first new episode in almost two months

This is a work in progress. What's missing? Send me your comments.