7/20/1969

July 20th, 1969, was a big day in history. The U.S. "won" the space race (set off by the launch of Sputnik or Спутник) on 4 October 1957, by landing men on the moon. I remember the fear with which my father brought us out in the evening to the driveway to observe its passage overhead, and the "missile gap" [and other "gaps"] that drove the American technological advancement of the 60s and 70s.

Which reminds me again of Steve Karg's license plate:

(It's too bad Washington State doesn't have such great plates, but then they also want a LOT of money for vanity plates.)