Old Radio

There is precisely one man who invented the word "bazooka," and his name is Bob Burns .  The comedian coined the word (or "neologism" for those of you interested in learning a new word: neologism means "new word") to refer to his odd musical instrument made up of a whiskey funnel plus two gas pipes.  He copyrighted the word, which presumably means he made out well when the gum by the same name became popular. And I bet you thought he was famous as the host of The Bob Burns Show .  The wartime show included many references to the troops (whose guns they called bazookas due to their resemblance to Burns's instrument), much encouragement, and entertainment from a variety of guests. On this day in 1896, Bazooka Bob Burns entered the world. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Bob Burns ! Bob Burns was a radio comedian was best known for playing his "bazooka".  After a stint in vaudeville, he  came into comedy radio starring on the Rudy Vallee Show and Kraft Music Hall .  He ultimately had his own program, "The Bob Burns Show" with  fake hillbilly relatives characters including Uncle Fud, Grandpa Snazzy and Aunt Doody.