And That's the Way It Is

Walter Cronkite died today at the age of 92. And that's the way it is.

Although the news legend ended his anchor career on CBS prior to my birth, there is no reason I should not know who he is/was. Sixteen million tuned in to the nightly national news to hear the facts told by the "most trusted man in America." With the competition among broadcast, cable, and online news sources these days, Katie Couric pulls in audiences one-third the size.

Cronkite's death comes three days before the 40th anniversary of NASA's moon landing. According to one news report, Cronkite was uncharacteristically speechless when Apollo 11 touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969, with less than 30 seconds of fuel reserve. "Man on the moon," he declared, then stammered for the next two minutes as he listened to the cross-chat between Houston and the Sea of Tranquility. "Oh, jeez. Oh, boy. ... Whew. Boy. Oh, boy."

While America reacted en masse to the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, the loss of Cronkite deserves as much or more recognition.