(CBS) Forty-three years after Edward R. Murrow's death, there is still a plaque of the legendary newsman in the lobby of the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Beneath his earnest stare and trademark cigarette is an inscription: "His imprint on broadcasting will be felt for all time to come."

Today, Murrow would have celebrated his 100th birthday. The correspondent's storied career still evokes some of the most unforgettable moments in American journalism. From heroically chronicling the reality of World War II to fearlessly exposing Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Murrow reinvented the scope and power of broadcast reporting.

Starting his career at CBS in 1935, Murrow emerged as a seminal radio voice in the early days of the war. In 1938, he reported on the growing tensions in Europe (listen) on World News Roundup, the first modern newscast. Eventually, millions of Americans would listen to Murrow's radio dispatches from London, including a report on the Allies' invasion of Normandy (listen) to liberate Europe from the Nazis. Earlier this month, his war correspondent uniform was put on display at the newly opened Newseum in Washington, D.C.

By the 1950s, Murrow established himself as the most distinguished and respected figure in television journalism. His show "See It Now" never shied away from controversial issues. Most notably, Murrow's broadcast launched an attack on Sen. Joseph McCarthy's anti-communism crusade - reporting that ultimately toppled the senator's political career. In 2005, the film "Good Night, and Good Luck" brought the famous episode - and the newsman - back in the spotlight.

As the clips below illustrate, Murrow created new standards of integrity and bravery in broadcast reporting. Though he died in 1965, his legacy remains as strong as ever. As David Halberstam wrote in his 2000 book "The Powers That Be," Murrow was "one of those rare legendary figures who was as good as his myth."

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Reporting from the flight deck of a plane landing in Berlin in 1958, Murrow took CBS News viewers to the German capital during one episode of "See It Now."

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Murrow talks to U.S. servicemen in Korea on Christmas Day, 1953.

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On January 22, 1954, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt is a guest on Murrow's show "Person to Person."

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On March 9, 1954, Murrow introduces a rebuttal by Sen. Joseph McCarthy after CBS reports revealed the excesses of hearings into alleged Communists infiltration of the U.S.

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Quotes About Legendary CBS Newsman Edward R. Murrow

"Edward R. Murrow was my last hero. When this nation was drowning in cowardice and demagoguery, it was Murrow who hurled the spear at the terror. The spear was his 'See It Now' television broadcast on Senator Joe McCarthy."
- From an essay by CBS News veteran Joseph Wershba

"If you ask what does Murrow mean to me, I’ll tell you. Whenever I’m not sure about something, the ethics of something, the question I ask myself is what would Murrow have done? What would Murrow say? It seems strange after all these years that I still have him as a kind of symbol and an emblem to live by, but I do."
- Journalist Daniel Schorr, the last of Murrow's colleagues who is still a working journalist. (He's a senior news analyst for National Public Radio)

"It was like Moses and the parting of the Red Sea when (Murrow) walked through the office. We all stepped aside. He walked slowly, with his head down. He was deep in thought."
- Former CBS News correspondent Marvin Kalb in the Orlando Sentinel

By Stephen Smith
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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