The General Hospital tradition of passion, intrigue and adventure takes place in the fictional town of Port Charles, set in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. And, as always, love and danger continue to abound on General Hospital with contemporary storylines and unforgettable characters. [Source]

1. The show premiered in 1963.
2. The show's original title was "Emergency Hospital".
3. GH was almost canceled in 1978. Gloria Monty joined the staff as producer and saved the show from cancellation: it was the #1 show on daytime tv.
4. The highest rated episode in daytime tv belongs to General Hospital. Luke & Laura's wedding in November of 1981 brought in 30 million viewers.
5. The following roles were meant to be short term (from a few days to a few weeks varying for each) but lasted much longer: Robert Scorpio, Luke Spencer, & Sonny Corinthos.
6. Sonny & Carly's son Morgan is named after the characters of Jason Morgan & Michael "Stone" Cates.
7. The show has had two successful spin-offs: Port Charles which focused on Lucy, Scott, Kevin and others, and GH: Night Shift focusing on Saturday nights in the ER starring Jason Thompson, Kimberly McCullough, and others.

1. Derk Cheetwood (Max) & Drew Cheetwood (Milo) are brothers offscreen as well as onscreen. Derk & Drew's cousin? Tyler Christopher (Nikolas).
2. Kirsten Storms (Maxie) worked opposite Matt Marraccini (ex-Jesse) before. He played her love interest on the short lived series "Clubhouse".
3. Rachel Ames (Audrey Hardy) was the cast member on the show the longest. An original cast member she joined 'GH' with it's premiere in 1963 and retired from acting in late 2007.
4. Robin Christopher (Skye) has appeared on all three current ABC soaps as the same character.
5. The following stars were previously on GH's now cancelled sister soap Port Charles: Jay Pickett (David Harper), Kelly Monaco (Sam), Kent Masters King (Lainey), & Kiko Ellsworth (ex-Stan).
6. The following current cast members have played two roles on GH: Tyler Christopher (Nikolas Cassadine & Connor Bishop), Richard Fancy (Benny & Bernie), Anthony Geary (Bill Eckert & Luke Spencer), Ted King (Luis & Lorenzo Alcazar), Kelly Monaco (Samantha McCall & Alicia Montenegro), John J. York (James Meadows & Mac Scorpio), and Jay Pickett (a temporary Lorenzo Alcazar recast & David Harper).
7. The song written by Lucky for Elizabeth (titled "Elizabeth") was written by Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky).

• Official 'General Hospital' Website