1969 - Two Americas

On July 20, 1969, three Americans landed on the moon for the very first time. As Niel Armstrong touched down on the moon's surface, he announced the famous phrase "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

The race to the moon started on May 24, 1961, when President Kennedy announced that they would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. It took a lot of work, but America did it, with a few months to spare. It took the intelligence of many scientists, trained in excellent schools.

America benefited from the NASA program in many different ways. Some of the technology that we have today because of NASA include artificial limbs, infrared ear thermometers, velcro, LEDs, freeze-drying technology, firefighting equipment, and aircraft anti-icing.

Less than a month later, on August 15th, a different kind of America asserted itself. While almost every American had their television glued to the moon landing, these people were quite interested in "peace, love, and rock and roll."

Tickets were sold for $18 in advance, and organizers planned to sell tickets for $24 at the door. It didn't really work that way. The event was held on Yasgur's farm in Woodstock, New York. People arrived early, cut the fence, and poured in for free.

The event caused a traffic jam in the area. Improper planning led to poor sanitation and not enough food for the attendees. Despite approximately half a million people participating, the event was peaceful. One participant noted "Woodstock, if anything, was the point at which psychedelics ceased being tools for experience... and became a means of crowd control." The field turned into a muddy mess, and participants left one of the biggest piles of garbage in history.

Woodstock changed the music scene for years to come. Many of the acts at Woodstock are still remembered today, and some performer's careers were propelled into the stratosphere for the event. Performers include Joan Baez, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimmy Hendrix. People still celebrate Woodstock on big anniversaries.

Woodstock and the moon landing weren't the only major events of the Summer of '69. This is what was happening:

June 18 - The Weathermen take control of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
July 8 - The US started withdrawing from Vietnam
July 18 - Teddy Kennedy drives off a bridge in Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. His passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, doesn't escape, and drowns.
August 9 - Disney opens its Haunted Mansion attraction
August 9 - The Manson Family murders actress Sharon Tate, along with other people in the house at the time
August 17 - Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 hurricane, hits Mississippi (during the Woodstock festival)