TIMELINE
October 31, 1931
Born in Wharton, Texas, to Irvin and Byrl Rather.
The family soon moves to Houston Heights.
1950-1953
While attending Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville, Texas, he works for:
The Houstonian (school newspaper)
KSAM radio
Associated Press
United Press International
1953
Graduates from Sam Houston State Teachers College with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism.
1954-1955
Houston Chonicle
KTRH radio, Houston (News Director)
1956
KTRH radio (News Director)
1959-1962
KTRK-TV, Houston (Reporter)
KHOU-TV, Houston (News Director)
September 1961
While at CBS affiliate KHOU-TV, Rather reports on Hurricane Carla.
1962
CBS News, Chief of Southwest Bureau, Dallas
1963
CBS News, Chief of the Southern Bureau, New Orleans
(November 22, 1963 — He reports on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.)
1960s / 1970s
White House Correspondent (1964) (1966…)
(Rather covers all of the Democratic and Republican conventions beginning in 1964. While trying to interview someone on the floor of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, he is punched by a convention security officer. Afterwards, Walter Cronkite says there are “a bunch of thugs down there.”)
Bureau chief, London (1965)
Bureau chief, Saigon (1965/1966)
Anchor, CBS Weekend News
Anchor, CBS Reports documentaries (1974)
1972-1974
CBS News reports on the White House Watergate scandal.
March 19, 1974
Richard Nixon presidential news conference excerpt:
RATHER: “…Thank you, Mr. President. Dan Rather, of CBS News. Mr. President…” (Applause, mixed with jeers.)
PRESIDENT: “Are you running for something?”
RATHER: “No sir, Mr. President, are you?”
1976
Co-Editor, 60 Minutes
1980
After the Soviet Union’s invasion, Dan Rather reports from Afghanistan.
March 9, 1981
Anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News
(He replaces Walter Cronkite who had served as anchor since 1962.)
“Dan Rather Reporting” radio program begins.
January 28, 1986
CBS News reports on the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion.
September 11, 1987
During a remote broadcast in Miami, Dan Rather walks away from the anchor set for six minutes at the beginning of the CBS Evening News.
January 19, 1988
Anchor, 48 Hours
January 25, 1988
Dan Rather and Vice-President George H.W. Bush‘s confrontational interview.
June 3, 1989
CBS News is in China when the Tiananmen Square assault begins.
1990
Dan Rather interviews Saddam Hussein for the first time. Rather will interview him again in 2003.
1993-1995
Co-anchors the CBS Evening News program with Connie Chung
1996
Dan Rather won the 1996 Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from the National Press Foundation. The following video was played before he delivered his acceptance speech.
1999
Correspondent, 60 Minutes II
September 11, 2001
CBS News reports on the September 11 terrorist attacks.
February 1, 2003
CBS News reports on the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
September 8, 2004
60 Minutes II report on President George W. Bush’s Air National Guard service. (Poynter Online coverage)
November 23, 2004
Dan Rather announces his retirement as anchor of the CBS Evening News.
March 9, 2005
Dan Rather retires as the anchor of the CBS Evening News.
June 20, 2006
Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, announces that Dan Rather will be leaving CBS.
July 11, 2006
It is announced that Dan Rather will produce and host Dan Rather Reports for HDNet.
