Bay City Tribune

Standing in line at the store checkout a couple days ago I noticed a copy of a special 40th Anniversary edition of Time magazine.

On the cover it said, "1969: Moon, Manson and Woodstock."

I didn't realize the year had so many memorable events, from a great event in history to a tragedy to what is probably one of the most well-known musical events.

The mission to the moon holds a special place in my heart and my own personal history.

The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon.

Launched on July 16, 1969, it carried Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr.

On July 20, 1969, six hours after landing on the moon at 4:17 p.m. EDT, Neil Armstrong was the first person to take a step on the moon's surface with the now famous words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Aldrin followed Armstrong to become the second man to stand on the moon.

The two astronauts spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and returned 46 pounds of lunar rocks.

This was the realization of what once was only a dream - actually walking on the moon.

Several events are planned around the country in celebration of the 40th anniversary of this historic event.

The Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where Apollo 11 was launched, celebrated July 16 with the opening of the Apollo Treasures Gallery, The Neil Armstrong Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, is holding its annual Summer Moon Festival through July 20 and will offer half price admission on July 20, and a "Fly Me to the Moon: A Community Celebration of the First Lunar Landing" was held in Houston on July 18.

Why does it hold a special place in my own history?

Because it was the first historical event I witnessed in my lifetime.

Ok, so maybe I didn't actually witness it, but I am sure it was the talk of the nurses around my newborn bassinet in the nursery of the Houston hospital where I was born that day.

My mother has told me she had me that day and watched the moon landing on television that evening. It was quite a day for her.

After a history lesson in elementary school I went home and told mom I must be special because my birthday was in the history books.

I can't really remember her response but I'm pretty sure it was hysterical laughter.

The other events, the Manson "family" murders and Woodstock, marked August of 1969.

I have read the book, "Helter Skelter," by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry about the Manson murders and was shocked and terrified by the story.

Old photos I have seen of Charles Manson are what nightmares are made from.

Woodstock was listed on Rolling Stone's "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll."

I can't even imagine the atmosphere of the time but from what I've read it sounds like an event that will never be forgotten.

I don't know about the rest of 1969 but it sure had a history making summer.