Morley Safer: 5 Things You May Not Have Known

Morley Safer, best known for his long-running career as a journalist on CBS's "60 Minutes," died this Thursday at age 84. Here's what you should know about his fascinating career and life.

• Morley Safer's obituary is here.

1. The American icon of TV journalism was born in Canada.

Though Safer is most famous for his long-running stint on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” he started his career writing for a variety of Canadian and British Newspapers. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, and attended the University of Western Ontario for a short time. He remained a dual citizen of both the United States and Canada until his death.

"I really feel stateless," he said in an article for People, "which is not bad because I always felt a man without a country was not encumbered by narrow loyalties."

2. Safer took over Edward R. Murrow’s desk at CBS London.

Murrow had been a preeminent figure in British media following his reporting during World War II and his coverage of the Nazi bombings of London.

Safer recognized the significance of this position, noting in a recently aired report on his life, “My desk was Murrow's desk. Murrow's old World War II CBS desk. So there was a lot of baggage. I mean, wonderful, positive baggage.

3. President Lyndon Johnson wanted to get him fired.

After a searing report from the front lines in the Vietnam war, in which Safer reported on solders using flamethrowers to indiscriminately burn houses to the ground, Johnson called Frank Stanton, then president of CBS, to decry the story.

Johnson asked Stanton, “You know what you did to me last night?”

When Stanton asked what he had done, Johnson replied, "You shat on the American flag."

4. He nearly died in a helicopter crash in Vietnam.

While he was reporting on the gruesome details of war, he was stuck in the midst of it as well. The helicopter came down right on the edge of enemy territory.

5. He holds the record for the longest run on prime time television for his 46 years at “60 Minutes,” according to CBS.

When Safer joined the show in 1970, it was not the institution it has become, and its rating weren’t impressive. But over the years, Safer reported a grand total of 919 stories, and the show has achieved emblematic stature. It was ranked 24th in TV Guide’s “60 Best Series of All Time” in 2013.

Photo Credit: Albert Ferreira via WikiMedia Commons