This Day in American History: Bob Hope Dies at 100
- ForAmerica
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
On this day in 2003, America lost the man who spent nearly 60 years making sure its troops overseas never had to laugh alone.
Bob Hope died of pneumonia at his Toluca Lake, California home on July 27, 2003, just two months after quietly celebrating his 100th birthday. Born Leslie Townes Hope in England in 1903, he moved to Ohio with his family as a boy, worked odd jobs and even boxed as a teenager before finding his calling in vaudeville. Over a career spanning nearly 80 years, he became one of the most honored entertainers in American history: more than 2,000 awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, two honorary Oscars, and an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. He hosted the Academy Awards a record 19 times and holds four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- more than any other actor.
But Hope's most cherished audience was never in Hollywood. On May 6, 1941, months before Pearl Harbor, he performed his popular radio show for a live military audience at March Field, California, and something clicked. He kept performing for troops for the next 50 years, through World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Gulf War, eventually logging 57 USO tours -- a record unmatched in the organization's history. His annual televised Christmas specials, broadcast to millions back home, became must-see television, and he kept touring into his late 80s, headlining his final USO show for troops during Operation Desert Shield in 1990.
The Department of Defense marked his death with a rare public statement for a civilian, noting that Hope was "the first and only American ever to be made an honorary Veteran of America's Armed Forces" -- a title granted by Congress in 1997 in recognition of his decades of service to the troops. President George W. Bush called him "a great citizen" who "served our nation when he went to battlefields to entertain thousands of troops from different generations."
Also on this day:
1789 -- Congress establishes the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner to the State Department.
1920 -- The American yacht Resolute defends the America's Cup, beating Britain's Shamrock IV.
1940 -- Bugs Bunny makes his official cartoon debut in "A Wild Hare."
1953 -- The Korean War armistice is signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.
1955 -- Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" enters the Billboard R&B chart, becoming one of the first rock and roll crossover hits.
Fifty-seven tours, six decades, and one simple mission: make sure no soldier ever felt forgotten. Thanks for the memory, Bob.
Source: United Service Organizations, Department of Defense, HISTORY.com
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