40 yrs ago on this date....

Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. Your generation and mine as well, has grown up with the Space Shuttle and so much knowledge of space that often times it is lost on us how monumental this event was. Over a billion people worldwide listened at home. This was not just an American achievement but also one for all of mankind. Armstrong uttered the words "this is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." What Armstrong meant by those words was that even though it may seem like small steps, it shows that humans can do anything and go anywhere if they work hard enough and persevere through adversity.

The space race of the 1960s was a heated competition between the US and the Soviet Union (Communist Russia). For Americans it was deemed to be vital that we land on the moon prior to the Soviets. The Soviets jumped out to a head start with the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. President John F. Kennedy made to a special joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." At the time, the United States was still trailing the Soviet Union in space developments, and Cold War-era America welcomed Kennedy's bold proposal. A little more than 8 years later, the United States achieved their goal. This was not only important for Space Race and the Cold War, but also American morale. The 1960s was a difficult decade, as Americans witnessed the assassinations of President Kennedy, former Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Robert Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King and several other civil rights leaders, the Civil Rights movement, protesting of the Vietnam War, and the highs and lows of the Chicano Movement. Armstrong's steps gave Americans something that they could all rally around, something that for one moment, allowed them to be united after a long decade of separatism and fighting.

I hope that you all take a minute and read this. Maybe do a little research yourself online and read about this moment some more. Also continue reading those summer books and be ready to start in TWO WEEKS. I will be on campus again next week to set up the classroom.