In 1972, a lot happened. Don McLean’s hit song “American Pie” was at No. 1, Richard Nixon was president, his administration was attempting to cover up its involvement in the Watergate Scandal, NASA’s Space Shuttle program was officially launched, and Bob Barker, the host of a new game show called Price is Right, was giving away brand new cars worth less than $4000.

Bob Barker, synonymous with The Price is Right, is an entertainment legend and a multigenerational household name who hosted the iconic game show for 35 years.

Barker is commemorating a century of life this year.

Barker, a member of the Sioux Tribe, met his future wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, during an Ella Fitzgerald concert when he was growing up on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. He married Gideon, his high school love, in 1945 while on leave from the United States Navy Reserve, where he trained as a fighter pilot during WWII. He never served in the military, but he did return to university and earn a degree in economics.

Barker, now 99, was presenting a Los Angeles radio show when he caught the attention of Ralph Edwards, a game show producer seeking a new host for Truth or Consequences, the first game show to be shown on television. Barker’s reputation grew as he hosted the enormously successful show from 1956 to 1975, and in 1967, he began presenting the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants.

Then something occurred. In 1972, he appeared on the set of The Price is Right, catapulting him and the show to prominence.

The Price is Right became the longest-running game show in history, a status it still retains, and Barker earned 14 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host and four Emmys for his position as executive producer in 1988.

Barker credited his late wife for his successful career in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation in 2008, stating, “She gave me the confidence to even try to do what I set out to do. She didn’t just encourage me; she worked right alongside me.”

Gideon, 57, died of lung cancer in 1981, leaving behind her husband of 36 years.

“I never had any desire to remarry.” She had been my wife, Barker stated.

He did, however, find another partner in Nancy Burnet, who has been with Barker for the past 40 years. One of the primary elements contributing to Barker’s good health, according to Nancy, is his restricted usage of medicine throughout the years.

Burnet, now 79, talked with Fox News Digital just before his 99th birthday in December and made an unexpected statement: “He’s going to be 99, and he takes one prescription medication, and that’s for his thyroid. And his doctors or anyone else who comes to see him will say, ‘Well, we’d want a list of his drugs.’ Let me simply show you the bottle, I’ll say. That’s all. So he doesn’t take anything for high blood pressure, cholesterol, or the plethora of other medications that most people take as they age,” Burnet joked about his one prescription:

“He’s in good health for his age, and his sense of humor is still intact. He’s had a really lucky life.”

But it wasn’t always like this.

Barker underwent surgery in 1999 to repair a partly blocked artery and lower the risk of stroke after feeling what he characterized as clumsiness in his hand. He had a stroke in 2002 and underwent prostate surgery months later. He enjoys the sun, but he’s also had multiple episodes of moderate skin cancer, a series of falls that necessitated more hospital trips, and serious back issues.

Burnet tells how she intervened, using vitamins to help Barker, a long-time vegetarian, develop strength. “It was not intended to replace meals but rather to enhance everything. Because he wasn’t feeling well, he was advised to take it in addition to his meals. He seemed worn and fragile, not to mention unhealthily. And you’d better know what you’re doing if you’re going to be a vegetarian or vegan.”

After leaving The Price is Right, which is currently hosted by comedian Drew Carey, he made a few guest appearances, including one on his 90th birthday in 2013.

“He never grew tired of it,” Burnet said of his tenure on the program. I doubt I could put up the same performance every day. But he never got tired of it. So maybe that’s why it was so successful: he was always ready and willing to do it.”

Barker shared the same idea on Good Morning America in 2007.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye to it. So, I believe it is time to say goodbye because I want to leave them wanting more.”

He departed with several wonderful memories like Vanna White participating on Price is Right before becoming famous on Wheel of Fortune and female competitors losing their shirts after bouncing up and down in excitement.

But the best part was that the show offered Barker a platform to raise awareness about animal welfare.

Barker is also an animal rights activist, as seen by his show-ending catchphrase, “This is Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population.” Have your dogs fixed or spayed?”

He attributes his animal rights involvement to his late wife, Gideon.

“She was a woman ahead of her time,” Barker said on Good Morning America. “She stopped wearing fur coats before anyone else.” She became a vegetarian long before most others did. And I eventually did the same for her.”

In fact, through his DJ&T Foundation (named for Gideon and his mother, Matilda, or “Tilly,” both of whom are animal lovers), he has contributed millions of dollars, effectively developing animal-rights curricula at law schools such as Harvard, Columbia, and Northwestern.

“If young people are introduced to the terrible exploitation and mistreatment of animals in society, it will help influence them in anything they do,” Barker told the Associated Press in 2015. “When education and encouragement fail, legislation is required.”

Burnet, whom he met at an animal adoption event he sponsored in 1983, advocates for animal rights with Barker, as well as campaigns against animal entertainment.

What a fantastic century! Bob Barker has made a big impact on the globe in his nearly 100 years. We are extremely blessed to have somebody like Barker, a paragon of power who utilizes his reputation to save innocent creatures!