President George H.W. Bush would have been 100 years old. He was born June 12, 1924.

And to mark that milestone birthday, he might have jumped out of an airplane.

Like he did when he turned 75 … and 80 … and 85 … and 90.

Why jump out of airplanes as he got older?

Here’s what President Bush said in 1998:

It was about closure because on September 2nd, 1944, I made a parachute jump and I did it badly. My life was spared. Off the island of Chichijima. During Word War II. But I made a mistake again went out too early and bad things happened. So for years I wanted to do it right. But what I thought the press would ridicule me. But what happened was. And maybe there's a lesson here for other old guys if there are others in this room. And somehow that silly parachute jump awaked in a lot of people that very thought. We can. We can do something even at our age.

President George Bush was serious about the jumps. But he often joked about them. And he used First Lady Barbara Bush as his comedy foil.

What were his best birthday parachute jokes?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices