Earthrise: The Most Famous Photo of Earth

On this episode of Our American Stories, the year was 1968, and the world below was coming apart. Wars raged overseas, cities burned, and faith in the future seemed to flicker. Yet hundreds of thousands of miles away, three astronauts aboard Apollo 8 were witnessing something extraordinary. As their capsule emerged from the Moon’s shadow, astronaut Bill Anders looked out the window and saw the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. He lifted his camera—and in that quiet instant, Earthrise was born. The image would soon be embraced by the peace movement, printed on posters, and carried in protests. But the irony is that it was born out of war—the Space Race, a direct contest with the Soviet Union that began in fear and rivalry. From conflict came a photograph that united the world in wonder. Our own Lee Habeeb shares the story behind this iconic image.

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