This day in history

The United States space capsule Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, enters lunar orbit.

During the Apollo’s ten orbits of the moon, television images and spectacular photos were taken of Earth and the moon. In addition to being the first human beings to view their home world in its entirety, American astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders were also the first to actually see the dark side of the moon. On Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and began its journey back to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean on 27 December. On 20 July of the next year, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first men to walk on the moon.

Start of the “Christmas truce” between the two sides during World War I.