A Christmas Message from 55 Years Ago

CBS Sunday Morning, December 2018

The year 2023 has been one of many challenges and some successes. So, too, was 1968.

Fifty-five years ago, the Vietnam War was in full swing, as was increasing opposition to it. The Tet Offensive was a profound shock. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Rioting occurred in Washington, DC. The passage of the 1968 Civil Rights Act was a rare victory. Richard Nixon’s election as president was not. The nation was deeply divided over Vietnam, race, and values.

In that context, on December 21, 1968, NASA sent Apollo 8 as the first manned mission to orbit the moon. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and Bill Anders became the first humans to see the surface of the moon so close and with such clarity.

Beyond breaking all of the manned flight records to date, Apollo 8 became famous for “Earthrise” - the first picture of the earth ever taken from the moon, and for a special Christmas Eve message broadcast by the astronauts. That greeting to the world was heard and viewed by the largest global audience ever assembled.

The graphic at the top of this page above links to a CBS “Sunday Morning” episode from 2018 that celebrated the golden anniversary of that mission. The video below is the complete Christmas message.

So, 55 years to the day that astronauts Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and Bill Anders sent their message to the world, we now reprise it as our holiday greeting to you. With our very best wishes for the health, prosperity, and well-being of all people on our good earth.