May 25, 1961 – United States President John F. Kennedy announces during a speech to a special joint session of Congress his intention to begin a project which will place a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

“First, I believe that 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.  No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”

This goal would finally be accomplished on June 20, 1969 when American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission land upon the moon.

For his complete speech to Congress click here.

May 25, 1977 – The movie “Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope“ is released in the Unites states and is destined to be a cult and cultural classic.  Some 31 years later my 4-year old son still thinks it is “the most awesome movie”.