Ellen comes out (April 30, 1997)

''I'm gay.'' Those two little words, uttered comically into an airport microphone by sitcom character Ellen Morgan, also doubled as a message from the show's genial star, Ellen DeGeneres, who came out herself in a Time magazine cover story at the same time the long-awaited ''Puppy Episode'' aired. And while declining ratings eventually led to Ellen's demise after its fifth season, this coming-out party ranked No. 1 in the Nielsens the week it aired.