Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: July 5, 1989

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Seinfeld

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: The legend around Seinfeld was always one of building off of meager beginnings. But we sometimes forget just how meager those beginnings were. This wasn’t merely a series that didn’t get a lot of attention right out of the gate and had to be prodded along until it built an audience. This was a dead pilot walking. NBC essentially burned off the Seinfeld pilot (then called The Seinfeld Chronicles) on the 5th of July, after having already deciding they weren’t going to pick it up for a full season.

The reason for the lack of faith in the show? Record low test-audience scores! It’s not hard to understand why. The epic aimlessness of the Seinfeld concept had to have been a major jolt for most TV audiences. Its closest contemporary, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, was not exactly a mainstream smash either. Shandling was a critical darling, and that was the ledge upon which Seinfeld gripped its fingertips. The real funny thing is that the meager ratings of that Seinfeld burnoff pilot? 10.9 rating, 19 share. Last Wednesday’s highest-rated network program? Big Brother with a 1.8.

As for the pilot episode itself … it’s okay. It doesn’t look like Seinfeld, as many pilot episodes look a lot different than what the shows will eventually become. The Kramer character is more of a hermit weirdo than a goofy eccentric. Elaine isn’t even present. Beyond the historical curiosity factor, there’s really nothing to recommend the episode for. But that historical curiosity factor is HUGE. It’s the biggest rags-to-riches story in network TV history. And it all started with a dumb joke about button placement on a shirt.

You can watch the Seinfeld pilot on Hulu.