The Apollo Moon Landings and American Culture

During the summer of 1969—the summer Americans first walked on the moon—musician and poet Patti Smith recalled strolling down the Coney Island Boardwalk to a refreshment stand, where "pictures of Jesus, President Kennedy, and the astronauts were taped to the wall behind the register."

Such was the zeitgeist in the year of the moon. Yet when NASA’s Apollo space program came to an end just three years later, few Americans mourned its passing. Join professor Matthew D. Tribbe for a look at the eclectic mix of voices that represented this era, including intellectuals, religious leaders, rock musicians, politicians and a variety of everyday Americans to understand the shifting culture during this critical period in American history.