George H.W. Bush Born: Future President and Cold War Leader
He flew fifty-eight combat missions in the Pacific and was shot down once over the island of Chichi-jima. George H. W. Bush was rescued by a submarine. Eight other pilots shot down the same day were not — they were captured, executed, and cannibalized by Japanese soldiers. Bush didn't talk about it publicly for decades. He came home, built a career in oil, then politics, then intelligence, then the vice presidency, then the presidency. He managed the end of the Cold War without gloating, held a coalition together for the Gulf War, and lost reelection to Bill Clinton after breaking his "no new taxes" pledge.
June 12, 1924
102 years ago
What Else Happened on June 12
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