[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 2036] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RECOGNIZING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ``THE SIMPSONS'' ______ HON. MIKE QUIGLEY of illinois in the house of representatives Thursday, February 25, 2010 Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the anniversary of an important milestone in our shared cultural history. December 17, 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the debut episode of ``The Simpsons.'' The Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs the show, spent the entirety of 2009 commemorating this milestone, and ended the celebration on January 10, 2010 with an hour-long special. In 1989, Fox took a chance and gave ``The Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening an opportunity to produce a half-hour primetime animated show for the network. Since then, the program has become world renowned. It has been honored with 25 Primetime Emmy awards, a Peabody award, and was named the 20th century's best television series by Time Magazine. It holds the distinction of being the longest running American animated program, the longest running American sitcom, and the longest running American primetime television program. In 2007, a feature- length film entitled ``The Simpsons Movie'' was released to worldwide box office success. While the show is renowned for its cultural references, it has achieved a cultural iconic status in its own right. A testament to this is the addition of ``Doh,'' a frequently used exclamation of the show's lead character Homer Simpson, to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001. Madam Speaker, I congratulate ``The Simpsons'' on its milestone, and I thank creators Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Al Jean for the many years of laughs and the many more to come. ____________________