It was January 12th 1971. I was a sophomore in high school and "All in the Family" debuted on CBS. I admit I didn't watch the show much, until it became very popular  but my father never missed it. It was appointment television. I can't recall my father laughing harder at any other show. I think Barney Fife came in second only to Archie's raves and antics at everything from homosexuality, racism, and every other topic America was going through at the time. It was a way we could all vent our frustrations through Archie's bigoted and irreverant  ways, but in the end there was always a message we could learn from, via Archie.  It was ground breaking tv and one show I will never forget. How about you, where were you in '71, did you watch and what did you think about the show?