Did you know that Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host, was born on January 12, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to parents Rush Hudson Limbaugh II and Mildred Carolyn (née Armstrong) Limbaugh? He and his younger brother David were born into the prominent political Limbaugh family; his father was a lawyer and a United States fighter pilot who served in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His mother was from Searcy, Arkansas.

Limbaugh's grandfather, Rush Limbaugh Sr., was a Missouri prosecutor, judge, special commissioner, member of the Missouri House of Representatives in the 1930s, and longtime president of the Missouri Historical Society. The family includes many lawyers, including his grandfather, father, and brother; his uncle, Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr., was a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. His cousin, Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., is a judge in the same court, appointed by George W. Bush.

At age 16, Limbaugh worked his first radio job at KGMO, a local radio station, using the airname Rusty Sharpe. Limbaugh later cited Chicago DJ Larry Lujack as a major influence on him. In deference to his parents' desire that he attend college, he enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University but dropped out after two semesters. According to his mother, "he

flunked everything [...] he just didn't seem interested in anything except radio."

In February 1971, after dropping out of college, the 20-year-old Limbaugh accepted an offer to DJ at WIXZ, a Top 40 station in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He adopted the airname "Bachelor Jeff" Christie and worked afternoons before moving to morning drive. The station's general manager compared Limbaugh's style at this time to "early Imus". In 1973, after eighteen months at WIXZ, Limbaugh was fired from the station due to "personality conflict" with the program director.

In late 1974, Limbaugh was dismissed from KQV in Pittsburgh after new management put pressure on the program director to fire him. After rejecting his only offer at the time, a position in Neenah, Wisconsin, Limbaugh returned to living with his parents in Cape Girardeau. During this time, he became a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 1975, Limbaugh began an afternoon show at the Top 40 station KUDL in Kansas City, Missouri. He soon became the host of a public affairs talk program that aired on weekend mornings, which allowed him to develop his style and present more controversial ideas. In 1977, he was let go from the station but remained in Kansas City to start an evening show at KFIX. The stint was short-lived, however, and disagreements with management led to his dismissal weeks later.

In November 1983, Limbaugh returned to radio at KMBZ (AM) in Kansas City for a year. He decided to drop his on-air moniker and broadcast under his real name. He was fired from the station, but weeks later he landed a spot on KFBK in Sacramento, California, replacing Morton Downey Jr. The show launched on October 14, 1984. The FCC's repeal of the fairness doctrine on August 5, 1987, meant stations could broadcast editorial commentary without having to present opposing views. Daniel Henninger wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial, "Ronald Reagan tore down this wall [the fairness doctrine] in 1987... and Rush Limbaugh was the first man to proclaim himself liberated from the East Germany of liberal media domination."

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