Today is, of course, Christmas Eve and it's also, the anniversary of the first time men orbited the moon. Yes, the three brave astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission - Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders - spent Christmas Eve 1968 circling the Moon no fewer than ten times, and capturing the iconic Earthrise photo to share with the rest of us. They were supplied with the packaged turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, but nothing by way of Christmas spirits, not even a bottle of champagne.
A lunar landing was still months away, but humans had orbited the moon for the first time and returned home safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 27.
A lunar landing was still months away, but humans had orbited the moon for the first time and returned home safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 27.