JFK Moon Speech

we meet in an hour of change and challenge in a decade of hope and fear in an age of both knowledge and ignorance the greater our knowledge increases the greater our ignorance unfolds no man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come but condense if you will the 50,000 years of man's recorded history in a time span of but a half a century stated in these terms we know very little about the first 40 years except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover

them then about 10 years ago under this standard man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter only five years ago man learn to write and use a cart with wheels Christianity began less than two years ago the printing press came this year and then less than two months ago during this whole 50-year span of human history the steam engine provided a new source of power Newton explored the meaning of gravity lies love electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available only last week we developed penicillin and television and nuclear power

this is a breathtaking pace and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old so it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest to weak if this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything it is that man in his quest for knowledge and progress is determined and cannot be deterred we shall send to the moon 240,000 miles away a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall on an untried mission to an unknown celestial body and then return it safely to earth

but why some say the moon I choose this as our goal and they may we'll ask why climb the highest mountain 535 years ago by the Atlantic we choose to go to the moon we choose to go to the moon we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept one we are unwilling to postpone

and therefore as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure but which there is ever involved