Watch David Letterman's first-ever Top Ten List

If Late Show host David Letterman has a single, trademark late-night segment, it's the Top Ten List. For 30 years, Letterman has consistently delivered goofy, memorable lists with subjects like "Top Ten Ways The World Would Be Different If Everyone Was Named Phil" or "Top Ten Cocktails for Santa."

It's hard to imagine Late Show without the Top Ten List — but like any great comedy bit, it had to start somewhere. Here's Letterman's first-ever Top Ten List, from autumn of 1985: "Top Ten Words that Almost Rhyme with 'Peas'."

In a recent story at The New York Times, former Late Show head writer Steve O'Donnell explained where the Top Ten concept originated. "Like the internet and the A-Bomb, the segment seems to have multiple mothers and fathers, with almost simultaneous inspiration arriving from staffers Jim Downey, Randy Cohen and Robert 'Morty' Morton — largely prompted by the ridiculous 'eligible bachelor' lists in a local New York paper that included the 84-year-old Bill Paley," O'Donnell wrote. "'Why, we can put such nonsense together ourselves!' we exclaimed. And we did."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up