“Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives.” Those words have welcomed viewers into the world of Salem every

weekday since November 8, 1965. During that time, we’ve watched the residents of this small town fall in and out of love, do battle against

bad guys and even occasionally bury one another alive. Hey, it happens… at least in the wild and wonderful world presented by the daytime drama. Join us now in looking back at some of our favorite memories, from gorgeous weddings to tragic losses.

 

 

Never mind how it ended and ended and ended again between these two; this is the way we like to remember Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) and Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) — as happy as they were on the day of their first wedding.

 

 

Salem at first thought scantily clad aliens were invading in 2002. But twins Rex (Eric Winter) and Cassie (Alexis Thorpe) turned out to be a surprise branch of the Brady family tree.

… or was it just the early days in the romance of Carrie Brady (Christie Clark) and Austin Reed (Patrick Muldoon)? Nothing, it seemed, could come between them. Nothing except…

 

 

In 1966, Diane Hunter (Coleen Gray) did her best to assure daughter Susan (the late Denise Alexander) that bows were sure to come back in fashion. One day. Maybe.

All Lucas Roberts (Bryan R. Dattilo) is missing in this late-1990s portrait is the other members of his dreamy boy band.

 

 

Nothing could stand in the way of Joshua Fallon (Scott Palmer) marrying Jessica Fallon (Jean Bruce Scott). Well, unless you count her relationship with the Salem Strangler and her alternate personality.

In 1992, Robert Kelker-Kelly wasn’t just a new beau for Dr. Carly Manning (Crystal Chappell), he was a new Bo Brady for us all.

Eh, it was really more of a crowd in 2015 for a jealous Ben Weston (Robert Scott Wilson), girlfriend Abigail Deveraux (then Kate Mansi; now Kristina, General Hospital) and her true love, Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn; now Cane, Young & Restless).

Looking back, gamblin’ man Neil Curtis (Joe Gallison) and sad songstress Liz Chandler (Gloria Loring) probably would’ve been better off as strangers.

In the mid-1970s, David Banning (Richard Guthrie) and Valerie Grant (then Tina Andrews) — aka Eli Grant’s parents — became Days of Our Lives’ first interracial couple.

In 2004, Mickey Horton (the late John Ingle) was torn between naughty Bonnie Lockhart (Judi Evans) and nice wife Maggie (Suzanne Rogers).

Sister Mary Moira was but one of the secondary characters that former headwriter James E. Reilly created for Days of Our Lives’ original Kristen DiMera, Eileen Davidson.

Chad’s remarriage to the “late” Abigail went the way of the dodo when he discovered that she was really Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) — and pulling a con with trigger-happy brother Mark (Jonah Robinson).

In 2003, somebody just needed to tell Belle Black (Kirsten Storms; now Maxie, General Hospital), Cassie and Rex, and Mimi Lockhart (Farah Faith) that the camera was over here. Over here, kids.

There’s really no other way to describe the tortured relationship between Carly and Lawrence Alamain (Michael Sabatino, who married his leading lady in 1997).

Well, at least Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) was happy anytime she and Austin (Peck here) were together. He, on the other hand, was generally ambivalent. At best. Maybe it shows?

Despite his checkered past and despite how brightly her halo glowed, Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) and Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves) discovered that they were perfect for one another.

For some reason, EJ DiMera (then James Scott) and sometime missus Sami looked as if we were interrupting them during this 2006 bedroom shoot. We’ll just let ourselves out…