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JFK Chooses the Moon

Today in history, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech at Rice University on the nation’s space effort.  In one of the most memorable passages JFK said:

"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…"

Listen to the famous speech here, from the JFK Library.

Images: Lunar sample made of mare basalt encased in a glass pyramid with rectangular base.  This piece of moon rock was brought back to earth by Apollo 15 mission on August 7, 1971.  The rock, called “breccia”, weighs 160 grams and is more than three billion years old.  Courtesy of NASA Lunar Sample Display Program.

President John F. Kennedy Speaks at Rice University. 9/12/62.

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The former New Hampshire home of J.D. Salinger is for sale, and the secluded retreat on 12 acres is well-suited to the famously reclusive author. 

Got a quick $679,000 on hand? 

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A major milestone indeed.

See more memories from this week in history in our #Boomers50 blog. 

Today in 1965, The Voting Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Act applied a nationwide prohibition of the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on account of race or color.  It outlawed discriminatory literacy tests, expanded voting rights for non-English speaking Americans, and appointed Federal examiners to oversee voter registration and elections. Read More

The law had an immediate impact. By the end of 1965, a quarter of a million new African American voters had been registered, one-third by Federal examiners. 

In this photo, LBJ signs the Voting Rights Act in the Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC.  Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders stand behind him.

LBJ’s speech from the signing here

Images:

President Lyndon B. Johnson at the speaker’s podium addressing a Joint Session of Congress urging the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

LBJ handing a signing pen to Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

LBJ signs the Voting Rights Act as Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders look on.

LBJ delivering remarks in the Capitol Rotunda. A statue of  Abraham Lincoln is in background.

August 6, 1965.

-from the LBJ Library on presidentialtimeline.org

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From Forrest Gump to the Wizard of Oz, retirees from Senior Living Communities in five states dressed up to play roles from their favorite iconic pop culture moments.

Awesome.

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AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus was ahead of her time. She was talking about aging in place 50 years before anyone else. She also established the first of what is now known as retirement communities. 

She went from teacher to high school principal to senior advocate. 

Read this great article from the Fillmore Gazette (Calif.) about a museum exhibit, "Ethel Percy Andrus: How One Woman Changed America" in Ojai, Calif.

 Images via the Grey Gables Archives and AARP Archives.

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+1 from us: Want a deep look back at Paul's life? Slide the rule here to 1942. 

HAPPY 72nd BIRTHDAY, SIR JAMES PAUL McCARTNEY!

Thanks for all the wonderful music ♡

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IMAGES FROM D-DAY … 70 YEARS AGO

A photographer’s images document a summer of liberation 70 years ago. American John G. Morris, who now lives in Paris, is a former picture editor for the New York Times and Ladies’ Home Journal. During World War II, he was the London picture editor for Life magazine. After D-Day, in the summer of 1944, the 27-year-old Morris joined the Allied armies in Normandy. “It was about the only time I carried a camera,” he says. Morris’ new book of his photographs is Somewhere in France.

Photo credit:  John G. Morris/Contact Press Images

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Via scandalabc

Happy Birthday, Tony Goldwyn. And yes--we'll wait for you. 

Love,

@AARP 

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Mick Jagger is a GREAT-grandfather … and he has better game than you, at 70!

Photo: Kevin Nixon/Classic Rock Magazine/TeamRock via Getty Images for Rolling Stone Magazine

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Soon you'll be able to reread the story of Boo Radley, Scout and Atticus Finch on your tablet or e-reader.  Thank you, Harper Lee.

Released date set for July 8.

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How we reacted when we heard #GeorgeClooney got engaged.

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The former astronaut shares his views on the importance of innovation, collaboration, and leadership to the success of any project.

Read More>

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20 years ago today Kurt Cobain's body was found. Is he #GenX's John Lennon? 

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30 years ago today ... 

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We *loved* this amazing doo-wop duet with one of our favorite singers -- and Jimmy is pretty good, too. ;-) 

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The boy who became a rebel. The rebel who became a soldier. The soldier who became an icon. The icon who disappeared.  'Salinger' premieres tonight at 9/8c on PBS. 

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Why older adults should matter to every #CES2014 attendee.