"And that's the way it is, Friday, March 6th, 1981" - Walter Cronkite...
That said, "Uncle Walter" ended his final "CBS Evening News" report, a report that started in 1962. When Walter Cronkite stepped down as anchorman of the highest rated of all the nightly newscasts, he was voted as "the most trusted man in America". Fourteen years later in 1995 he still held that title...
A former newspaper and UP World War II reporter, Walter Cronkite joined CBS News in 1950 and by 1952 was anchoring the 1952 presidential election. On April 16, 1962 he became the anchor of "CBS Evening News". Cronkite would play second fiddle to the NBC anchoring team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley until 1968 when he would pass the pair in ratings and dominate nightly news right up until leaving in 1981...
Just some of the reports of major news events that we'll always remember Walter Cronkite for:
- The Cuban missile crisis...
- Learning of JFK's assassination when Walter teared up after reading the AP flash, took off his glasses and looked up at the clock and told us that the death occured "some 38 minutes ago"...
- The Vietnam War...
- The Apollo 11 Moon landing...
- Watergate...
Despite approaching his 90th birthday in November, Walter Cronkite remains active as a special correspondent for CBS, CNN and NPR, working on educational TV projects and has become an outspoken opponent of the War in Iraq. Having property on Martha's Vineyard for years, he's been involved in a long-running debate over the construction of a wind farm between Hyannis harbor and the Vineyard. A lover of the sea, Cronkite continues to sail his boat in the summer and has established The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Arizona State University...
Walter Cronkite was part of a dying breed of news anchors that are no longer needed in television as we get our news instantaneously throughout the day and by the time anchors come on it's like reading yesterday's newspaper. Walter Cronkite was followed by some dominant anchors on the other networks like Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings. When it came time to replace Uncle Walter, CBS realized that it couldn't be done so why try ? To prove that they hired Dan Rather...
Some things you may not know about Walter Cronkite in my commentary...
More March 6 Memories...
1836) The Alamo in San Antonio, TX falls to Mexican forces after a 13-day siege...
1899) Aspirin is patented by German researchers Felix Hoffman and Hermann Dreser...
1930) Clarence Birdseye develops a method for quick freezing food (mmmm, get set for some tasty dinners)...
1959) The Drifters record "There Goes My Baby"...
1960) The U.S. announces that it will send 3,500 troops to Vietnam...
1964) Liz Taylor chalks up victim #4, Eddie Fisher...
1966) S/sgt. Barry Sadler is #1 with "Ballad of the Green Berets"...
1967) Stalin's daughter Svetlana Allilujeva asks for and is granted asylum in the U.S...
1976) Fleetwood Mac releases "Rhiannon"...
1977) "An Evening with Diana Ross" airs on NBC-TV...
1978) Hustler publisher Larry Flynt is shot and crippled by a sniper in Georgia...
1981) Walter Cronkite appears on his last "CBS Evening News" report (feature story)...
1983) The U.S. Football League plays its 1st game...
1993) A woman in New Bedford, MA is gang-raped on a pool table in a tavern (4 men were later convicted in a case that rocks the nation)...
2000) 3 white NYPD officers are convicted of a cover-up in a police station attack on Haitian immigrant Abner Louima...
To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline...
Happy Birthday To...
1923) Ed McMahon (hey-o)...
1926) Alan Greenspan...
1936) Former singer and Sugarhill Records co-founder Sylvia ("Mickey & Sylvia") Robinson...
1944) Former Supreme Mary Wilson...
1945) Rob Reiner...
1947) Kiki Dee...
1959) Tom Arnold...
1972) Shaquille O'Neal...
Commentary...
Some things you may not know about Walter Cronkite:
- He was recruited by Edward R. Murrow...
- Uncle Walter launched network TV's 1st half-hour newscast...
- An avid sailor, he is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary with an honorary rank of commodore...
- In January Walter announced that he's "keeping company" with New York realtor Joanna Simon, sister of Carly and went on to add, "My wife has only been gone less than a year (3/15/05). I'll wait until that year has passed, at least. I'm not making any moves immediately. I don't think it's proper" (in 2 weeks you can, Walter). And that's the way it is, Monday, March 6th, 2006...
Today is the 65th day of 2006 with 300 days remaining in the year, 14 days until spring and 26 days (we're getting closer) until opening day...
