On what date was the unaired I Love Lucy pilot kinescoped?

The unaired I Love Lucy pilot was kinescoped on March 2, 1951.

The pilot was created before the regular series began and was never broadcast as part of the original 1951–57 run. It was filmed as a presentation to demonstrate the proposed sitcom, starring Lucille Ball as Lucy and Desi Arnaz as Ricky. Much of its material came from the couple’s successful vaudeville act.

The recording was a kinescope, meaning a live or filmed television performance was preserved by photographing a television monitor. The pilot was later considered lost until the widow of Pepito Pérez, a clown who appeared in it, notified CBS that she possessed a copy given to her husband by Ball and Arnaz.

The recovered pilot finally aired during a CBS special on April 30, 1990—39 years after it was made. Its damaged or missing opening material required later reconstruction, which is why the pilot’s surviving history is often discussed alongside its 1990 broadcast and subsequent DVD and Blu-ray releases.