Happy "Monkees Day" everyone! No, it's not an official holiday (yet), but today is the anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Monkees television show back in 1966. For many of us who were young kids at the time, 7:30 on Monday nights became appointment television for the two seasons of first run shows.
Unlike many other shows which featured teenagers or kids, The Monkees broke new ground in several ways.
First and foremost, there was no 'parent' or 'adult figure' involved in the show. Yes, the pilot had an adult type record shop owner who acted as the guys manager, but that plot feature was quickly abandoned, and the four young men were on their own.
Second, this was the first show to bring the 'mod' look into America's living rooms. Young men with long hair, wearing hip clothes, using current slang, and all in a positive light. Until The Monkees hit, most portrayals of 'hippies' and 'mods' were as troubled or trouble making kids on shows like "Ben Casey", "The Defenders", and the like. These shows did not cast these characters in a good light; in most cases, they were portrayed as troublemakers, or juvenile delinquents. The Monkees may have gotten into some sticky situations, but they were never mean, evil, or intentionally caused trouble. 
Their effect on the culture of the country was immediate and strong.
Of course, it didn't hurt that all four guys were so likable, and strong performers. Say what you will, the show still stands up today because of these talented individuals. And for the most part, they stayed away from really strong topical humor, so the episodes aren't as dated as shows like "Laugh In", which contained much material based upon the news of the day and the current events.
Lastly, there was the music. While much has been made of the fact that the guys were not featured on the first two albums, that story is very overplayed, and doesn't reflect that many of the top groups of the day were represented by studio musicians on their recordings. Given the opportunity to write, produce, and play, some pretty good music was turned out by the guys. And give Kirschner and his gang their due, they crafted some of the very best tunes of the era, such as "I'm A Believer", "Clarksville", "Daydream Believer", and "Pleasant Valley Sunday".
For those of us of a certain vintage, The Monkees were, and for some, still are, a big part of our growing up process. Their music remains popular to this day, and although Davy has passed on, Micky, Mike, and Peter, through their solo and group concerts, allow us to relive those special times.
So give at least a passing thought today to four guys, who were thrown together almost randomly, in a business proposition that should probably have failed, but which went amazingly right.

And enjoy this clip of the guys doing "Mary Mary", written by Mike, on their 1967 USA Tour. This cut is from the Phoenix AZ show in January of that year.