Mickey Mouse celebrates 80th birthday

This past November 18, Mickey Mouse celebrated his 80th birthday. On that date in 1928, Walter Elias Disney first debuted what would become his most popular creation in the animated movie Steamboat Willie.

The cartoon, written and directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, first premiered at the 79th Street Theater in New York to immediate acclaim. Also of note, the film was the first of Disney's cartoons to feature synchronized sound.