"We choose to go to the Moon"

José Teixeira

"We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard".

John F. Kennedy uttered these words on February 12, 1962, to a large crowd gathered at Rice Stadium, in Houston, Texas.

This speech, although it wasn't the first official statement of America's intentions of landing on lunar soil - that was in an address to Congress, on May 25, 1961 -, was intended to persuade the American people to support the Apollo Program.

It worked. Before this speech, the lunar missions were seen as something unnecessary, even random. But after Kennedy's words, the American people suddenly became all for the Apollo Program, and there was a large morale boost on American soil.

I choose to write about this speech because, in my humble perspective, it's one of the best speeches I have ever heard. The way Kennedy articulates his message and captures the audience, making it as passionate as he is about the subject, is just beyond extraordinary to me.

I'll leave a link to the full speech, so you guys can see it for yourselves.