12 Facts About David Letterman

1. At the same time, David Letterman received a Sagamore of the Wabash award given by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, which recognizes distinguished service to the state of Indiana.

2. On September 7, 2007, David Letterman visited his alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for the dedication of a communications facility named in his honor for his dedication to the university.

3. On October 5, 2009, David Letterman devoted a segment of his show to a public apology to his wife and staff.

4. On the Late Show in 1996, David Letterman talked about his tinnitus in an interview he did with actor William Shatner, who has severe tinnitus himself, caused from an on-set explosion.

5. In 2018, David Letterman has been hosting a six-episode monthly series of hour-long programs on Netflix consisting of long-form interviews and field segments.

6. In 2016, David Letterman joined the climate change documentary show Years of Living Dangerously as one of the show's celebrity correspondents.

7. In a show of emotion, David Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination.

8. On March 27, 1995, David Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony.

9. From 1993 to 2009, David Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality 12 times.

10. In 1971 David Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500.

11. The elder David Letterman died of a second heart attack at age 57.

12. In total, David Letterman hosted 6,028 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history.