It was 40 years ago today.

President Kennedy: We choose to go to the moon in this decade. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

One would be hard pressed to find a bigger event in the 20th Century than The American landing on the moon. I suppose the advent of antibiotics and the defeat of the Nazis may rank higher in terms of individual lives....still forty years on, let us feel a goodly mix of pride and humility for what these men did.

Check out some newly released, cleaned up, video from NASA here.

My parents went out and bought our first color TV to watch the moon landing - pointless since it was broadcast in black and white. Still, even though I was six, I remember it well. I grew up in that once muscular American middle of the middle class - on a suburban cul de sac in Orange County - no less. AND my mother won the Big Deal on Let's Make A Deal - the same year. I'm not sure what could have been more American than that in 1969 other than having Kennedy's dream fulfilled as everyone on our block gathered around our new TV set.

I think - but do not presume to know - it may be hard for those much younger than I to understand the level of importance the moon landing had for Americans in 1969.

It was downhill after that. We have been shrinking since. This must end if we hope to survive. If we pin our revival one one event - I hope it is the moon landing. I also hope Mr. Obama makes a very, VERY big deal about this anniversary.