Here are 10 key dates in the life of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States who diedon  Friday at the age of 94:

- June 12, 1924: George Herbert Walker Bush is born in Milton, Massachusetts.

- June 12, 1942: Bush enlists in the US Navy on his 18th birthday, and becomes its youngest pilot, flying 58 combat missions in a torpedo bomber during World War II. He is shot down over the Pacific and rescued at sea.

- January 6, 1945: Following his discharge from the Navy, Bush marries Barbara Pierce. They have six children: George Walker, Robin (who died at the age of four), John (also known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin and Dorothy.

- 1953: Bush co-founds the Zapata Petroleum Company in Texas.

- 1967-1971: Bush serves as a Republican member of the US House of Representatives from Texas for two terms.

- 1971-1973: He serves as US ambassador to the United Nations.

- 1976-1977: Bush serves as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

- 1981-1989: He serves as US vice president under Ronald Reagan, whom Bush had opposed for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980.

- 1989-1993: Bush serves as US president. In August 1990, he leads an international coalition to counter Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and liberates the country in February 1991 with Operation Desert Storm.

- 1992: He loses his bid for a second term as president to Democrat Bill Clinton.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter