Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916 in St. Joseph, Missouri. He studied at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1935 he left school to work for the Houston Post. He later worked for several midwestern radio stations. In World War II he was a war correspondent for United Press International. After the war he was chief correspondent at the Nuremberg trials. He went to work for CBS News in 1950. In 1962 he helped start the CBS Evening News. He served as the news anchor until he retired in 1981.