In December 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon, and astronaut William Anders captured Earthrise, an iconic photograph of our planet rising over the lunar horizon that gave humanity a new perspective on its own home.
That same year, engineers unveiled the Boeing 747, a jumbo jet that would soon make international air travel more accessible to people around the world, and a small new company called Intel was founded, planting seeds for the computing revolution to come.
At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, long jumper Bob Beamon set a world record so remarkable it stood for decades, while moviegoers marveled at the visionary science fiction of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Looking back, 1968 offered a powerful reminder that exploring the farthest reaches of space could bring people closer to appreciating the beauty of Earth itself.
A brighter side
Notable constructive milestones
The Apollo 8 crew orbited the Moon
The mission carried the first people to orbit the Moon and returned the Earthrise photograph.
1968 on Wikipedia
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