Ed Ames

A professional knife thrower (with the unbelievably cool action hero name of Jack Dagger) taught Conan O'Brien how to throw knives last night on The Tonight Show. Don't worry, Dagger doesn't let him throw at any actual living human beings.

It's the contemporary version of Ed Ames throwing the tomahawks.

'The Tonight Show' has been a late-night institution for more than 50 years (yes, that's right -- half a century).

Jack Paar, who took over the reins from Steve Allen in '57, put the show on the map, with big-name guests and outspoken antics. Johnny Carson, who stepped in when Paar left, made the show appointment viewing for millions of fans and became one of the most beloved TV hosts of all time.

Now, with Jay Leno's last 'Tonight Show' airing Fri., May 29, and Conan O'Brien taking the desk while Leno makes the unprecedented move to prime time, to a 10 PM slot in the fall, we look back and count down the top 20 moments of 'The Tonight Show.'