Dave Garroway
He brought a calm, conversational intimacy to morning television, inventing the format we still watch today while masking a private struggle.
1913–1982 (age 69)·American radio and television host·Birthday: July 13·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Dave Garroway was the quiet revolutionary of the broadcast age. Before him, television was often formal and staged. With his horn-rimmed glasses and signature sign-off "Peace," he turned the fledgling 'Today' show into a living room companion, mixing news with jazz records and chimpanzee segments. This seemingly effortless style, developed during his earlier radio days in Chicago, created the blueprint for all morning television. Yet the man who projected such unflappable cool was privately wracked by depression, a battle that ultimately led him to leave the show he defined. His legacy is the informal, connective tissue of TV itself, a medium he taught to speak softly.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Dave was born in 1913, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1913
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1913Born
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Started school
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Became a teenager
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1929Could drive
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1931Could vote
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Turned 21
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1943Turned 30
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 40
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 50
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 60
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Died at 69
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
Key Achievements
- Served as the founding host and anchor of NBC's 'Today' show from its 1952 launch until 1961.
- Created and hosted the innovative, Chicago-based television program 'Garroway at Large,' a precursor to the magazine-style TV format.
- Was a central voice on NBC Radio's long-running 'Monitor' program, bridging radio and television eras.
- Received stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame for his contributions to both media.
Did You Know?
His opening line on the first 'Today' show was simply, "Good morning."
He was an avid watch collector and horology expert, often discussing timepieces on air.
Garroway's pet chimpanzee, J. Fred Muggs, became a major ratings draw for the 'Today' show in the 1950s.
He was a skilled amateur radio operator, with the call sign K9ZRX.
“The only thing that's really important is that which is human.”
