Today, July 20, marks the 40th anniversary of the landing of the first manned spacecraft on the moon. We remember it well. We were traveling on the Garden State Parkway, riding shotgun with our father, and listening to the radio broadcast of the event. To this day we can point out the location along the Parkway where we heard the words, "Tranquility base here, the Eagle has landed."The moon landing, and the "one small step" the following day, were two of the momentous events of a momentous year, 1969. Consider: The Vietnam war and the anti-war protests. John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s "bed-in." Segregation in private clubs was struck down by the Supreme Court. "Midnight Cowboy" was in theatres. Woodstock. "Broadway Joe" Namath operated a nightclub called Bachelors III. Mickey Mantle’s number was retired. Charles DeGaulle stepped down as president of France. The Mets won the World Series. Judy Garland died at age 47. 20-year-old Charles, son of Elizabeth, became Prince of Wales. Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones died. Senator Ten Kennedy drove off that bridge. Charles Manson’s followers went on their murderous rampage. The "Chicago 7" trial began. The Boeing 747 first took flight. The last public performance of the Beatles took place.
And the hottest cop on TV was Steve McGarrett, of Hawaii Five-O. Book ‘em, Danno.
