The world is no longer turning. At least that's how it feels for the countless fans of 'As the World Turns.'

The historic soap opera ends its 54-year run today. Legendary serial queen Irna Phillips created the ground-breaking drama, which debuted on April 2, 1956, on CBS. As times changed, so did the show, but the family unit was always at the core of the beloved series.

"'ATWT' was a trailblazer," reflected Emmy-winning writer-producer Jonathan Reiner, who spent seven years at Soap Opera Weekly. "It was one of the first half-hour shows and used hallmarks and techniques that the genre became famous for, such as the lingering close-up, exposition over coffee, a greater depth of character so that we knew motivations. This was all thanks to Irna Phillips, writer Bill Bell and director Ted Corday."