December 24 in American History

December 24, 1968 — Apollo 8 reads Genesis from lunar orbit

On Christmas Eve, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon — and beamed back a live reading from the Book of Genesis and the photograph called "Earthrise," our whole planet rising blue over the gray lunar horizon. To a hard year, America gave the world a new way of seeing home.

Common Questions

What happened on December 24 in American history?

In 1968: Apollo 8 reads Genesis from lunar orbit. On Christmas Eve, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon — and beamed back a live reading from the Book of Genesis and the photograph called "Earthrise," our whole planet rising blue over the gray lunar horizon.

Why is December 24 significant?

On Christmas Eve, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon — and beamed back a live reading from the Book of Genesis and the photograph called "Earthrise," our whole planet rising blue over the gray lunar horizon. To a hard year, America gave the world a new way of seeing home.

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