10 Things to Know: George H.W. Bush

In honor of George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States of America, who passed away on November 30, here are a few things to know about his life and accomplishments.

1. At the age of 18, he joined the Navy in WWII as the youngest pilot at the time.
2. During his time in the Navy, he and nine other pilots were shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft over the Chichijima, a small island in the Pacific between the U.S. and Japan, and Bush was the only survivor.
3. Bush married his teenage sweetheart, Barbara, in 1945 and was married to her for 73 years until her death this April.
4. He was the team captain of the baseball team at Yale University.
5. Barbara and George had six children together, however their second child Robin passed away from leukemia at the age of four.
6. Bush served as the Director of the CIA from 1976 to 1977 under President Ford.
7. When he lost the primary to Ronald Reagan, Bush served as his Vice President from 1981 to 1989.
8. Although Bush served as President for only one term, he had an eventful time in office. He was Commander-in-Chief during Desert Storm and the capture of Panamanian dictator General Manuel Noriega, resulting in a presidency dominated by foreign policy. This was reinforced when the Soviet Union dissolved and he was faced with the task of building new diplomatic ties during this tumultuous time.
9. In 1992, he lost his reelection bid to Bill Clinton due to the general public’s opinion that Bush focused too heavily on foreign issues to properly attend to domestic affairs.
10. A daredevil and thrillseeker all of his life, Bush went parachute jumping for his 75th, 80th, 85th, and 90th birthdays.