RIP Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite is dead at age 92. He anchored the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981. Tom Wicker reviewed Cronkite’s 1997 autobiography with highlights of his remarkable career.
When John F. Kennedy was murdered in Dallas in 1963, Walter Cronkite stayed on the air for the Columbia Broadcasting System for countless hours. His performance that weekend helped pull together a nation stricken with grief and was a signal event in television’s evolution into the national nervous system.
When Mr. Cronkite came back from Vietnam after the Tet offensive of 1968, he concluded on national television that the war had become no better than a stalemate. Hearing that, President Lyndon Johnson told associates, ”If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.” And he had. When Mr. Cronkite asked Robert Kennedy, then a senator from New York, whether he would run for President in 1968, Kennedy turned the tables: he proposed that Mr. Cronkite should run for the Senate. Mr. Cronkite refused, but the idea reflected polls showing that a journalist — a television journalist at that — had become the most trusted man in America.
One of his iconic broadcasts was his coverage of he 1969 moon landing, so it can’t be lost on us that his passing coincides with the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. During that event Cronkite spent 27 of the mission’s 30 hours on the air, and was sometimes called “the eighth astronaut.”
The Greatest !
July 17th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
He will be forever remember telling the American People that JFK was assassinated,Vietnam, the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, Nixon’s resignation. It is a sad day.
I remember when JFK was assassinated, I was not quite 9, actually I was two days from my ninth birthday. Vietnam was getting on its way. I remember the Apollo 11 landing. We will remember him as one of the best. RIP Walter Cronkite.
steve Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
What year you were born in CELTICWITCH ? I turn 55 yesterday and i was in the 4th grade when JFK was shot. Cronkite had the knack to reel you end listen. 70% of the time i watched the news was CBS.
Celticwitch Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Happy Birthday Steve.
Daddio Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Happy Be-lated Birthday Steve.
Never a fan of Cronkite, but it is always sad to see an icon pass away.
July 17th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Cronkite on Three Mile Island Pennsylvania nuclear accident March 30, 1979:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-c1PrCLaRw&feature=related
Celticwitch Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
I remembered Three Mile Island, I live in Pennsylvania, and I was scared, for good reason, we were thirty minutes from a China Syndrome.
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 5:34 am
You know what Merlin says. The doom of men is that they forget.
Three Mile Island is what happens when profit-seeking corporations build nuclear power plants. They will never put safety before profits. They will always settle for a level of “safety” that they consider to be “reasonable.” And a “reasonable” level of safety, as if by some miraculous act of God, will somehow always yield up a profit.
Same with health care. A “reasonable” level of health care means that Americans die younger than people in any other industrial nation. And, miraculously, the insurance giants make lots of profits this way. What a surprise.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Quick Rocky…how many people died in the Three Mile Island disaster? How many people can they verify that actually got sick because of it?
Three Mile Island was a very scary scenario, however it really underscores how safe the nuclear industry is.
A number of fail safes failed on the way to the meltdown, but they were still able to shut it down before something really really really bad happened.
Also the nuclear push should be centered around the fast breeder technology. amazingly more efficient, safer (the system isn’t hyper pressurized like three mile island type reactors, and a meltdown would pretty much contain itself) and just remember, more radioactive material is spewed into the air by coal plants than nuclear facilities.
Celticwitch Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Guido, I live in Pennsylvania, I remembered when it happened! I remembered what did happen, one thing is that five miles from any nuclear accident, is not acuate. There was plenty of birth defects after that. I would never drink the water there. I really don’t want to glow. It was a scary time. The Government never told the truth about TMI; we were thirty minutes away from a total meltdown, there Pennsylvania, Ohio, Part of New York, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware would have been effected. The warning came from Ralph Nader
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Celtic…it’s been 30 years since then, how many nuclear accidents have we had…how many people have died?
I think TMI is located in a weird place, it’s odd to have it so close to fairly big population centers. I live in the “shadow” of Hanford…but you can’t build anything within 20 miles of the nuclear reactor.
How many birth defects are attributed to radiation released during this episode?
From Wikipedia (sorry it was handy)
In the aftermath of the accident, investigations focused on the amount of radiation released by the accident. According to the American Nuclear Society, using the official radiation emission figures, “The average radiation dose to people living within ten miles of the plant was eight millirem, and no more than 100 millirem to any single individual. Eight millirem is about equal to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the average background level of radiation received by US residents in a year.”[31][51]
Based on these low emission figures, early scientific publications on the health effects of the fallout estimated one or two additional cancer deaths in the 10-mile area around TMI.[32] Disease rates in areas further than 10 miles from the plant were never examined.[32] Local activism in the 1980s, based on anecdotal reports of negative health effects, led to scientific studies being commissioned. A variety of studies have been unable to conclude that the accident had substantial health effects, but a debate remains about some key data and gaps in the literature.
here’s a pretty good blog about the realities of TMI…
cringely.com/2009/03/three-mile-island-memories/
blissfulconservative Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Not a single person was hurt or died because of 3 mile island. Nuclear power is safe and clean AND btw provides thousands of jobs for American workers.
Part of the reason more Americans die younger is because they sit around in their house all day in front of a computer eating chips, drinking sugar, never exercise, filling their bodies with unhealthy fat saturated foods, smoke, and fill their bodies will pills to “fix” the ailments they brought on themselves by doing the above.
EricG Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Scientifically speaking nuclear energy is far more safe and effective than other sources of energy, such as burning coal.
For once I am in agreement with the conservatives. As far the reality of radiation poisoning and 3 Mile Island.
Chernobyl was a similar story. Most people don’t know that there is a community of people living there and eating food grown in the soil. They do come up positive for gamma radiation on a Geiger Counter but they are not showing any signs of cancer or ill health. Most experts agree that high doses of gamma radiation is deadly in the extreme but recent studies seem to suggest that smaller doses are not as harmful as once thought.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
chernobyl was a good example of how not to build and run a nuclear reactor.
EricG Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
True. But the very mention of nuclear power still frightens people because of 3 Mile and Chernobyl and the science of today is far beyond the science of those times.
I hear they have no-waste reactors these day.
If Carter (yes, I have gripes on Carter even as a liberal) had not shut down our nuclear operation in the US we would be able to have this technology here in the states right now.
Once again, the US has dropped behind the ball and will in the long run pay for it’s failure to keep up with the times.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
well…fast breeder reactors burn up 99% of the available fuel in nuclear material, it’s not exactly no waste, but it’s much lower waste.
If you’ve ever eaten a washington apple or cherry chances are it was grown within 20 miles from the outskirts of the Hanford Nuclear site.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I was born November 24, 1954.
steve Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
July 16, 1954 .
July 17th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
My birthday could be remembered, the day Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed in Dallas, or my birthday would fall on Thanksgiving. I was equally in the 4th grade, I still remembered when they told us that JFK was shot and than he was dead.
I do know that I did not celebrate my birthday until I Thanksgiving.
steve Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
They sent us home from school and my mom was watching tv crying and i started to cry after finding out JFK was shot and killed. For some odd reason our school did not tell us.
I was watching tv with my mom when Oswald was shot and my mom try to cover my eyes. I was in shock. Thanks for the happy birthday. I got to go 5am is coming and i have to work.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
One of the greatest Americans that lived, he brought the world to us every night on TV, and now he is the anchorman for the universe. Godspeed Walter.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
[...] a report via the AP: (H/T to Allan Combs, yes, that Allen [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I am very sorry to hear about Mr. Cronkite’s passing. May he rest in peace.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Bummer,
I really liked his voice, just something about it. He was a classic and will be missed.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:32 am
R.I.P Mr. Cronkite,
You introduced me to the world. Thank you Sir.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:02 am
He was a Great Anchor. R.I.P.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Unfortunately I am too young to remember him as a regular reporter of the evening news, but he was obviously a man who deserved much respect and took his job as a journalist very seriously. I have seen this in his interviews and in clips of his previous work. Thankfully, he lived to a ripe old age, but it’s still sad to see him go. RIP Walter.
Celticwitch Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I do remember him, he knew his stuff and he was a Journalist that should have more coverage than Michael Jackson. In my opinions he was the best that ever lived.
July 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Wow, another famous person to leave. Walter (referred to as “Uncle Walt”) was a great man that knew how to deliver news. I wish these noobs nowadays had such skills. Prayers to Walter’s family and friends. In his memory, for his fans I have collected some great sites and articles (more than 200) to know all about Walter Cronkite. If you are interested take a look at the below link
http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/07/walter-cronkite-another-famous-person.html
July 18th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
RIP Mr. Cronkite.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
He had a great voice, RIP Mr. Cronkite
July 18th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
The most trusted man in Amerika ? NEVER trust a liberal !
EricG Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Never trust a Republican. They start wars on lies, disrespect Jesus Christ in their every word, and bankrupt the American Worker to line the pockets of the American Millionaire.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
This is a shame. I liked Cronkite, for my part as a young man anyway.
R.I.P.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
(”a report via the AP: (H/T to Allan Combs, yes, that Allen”)
(Your going to let that guy misspell both your first and last name?)
(Some people, need to go back to school before they open a blog…)
July 18th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Ok my stupid computer is being a bit slow, to answer you on TMI, I live here, I remember this and yes it was quite scary. At Chernobyl people still cannot go near or live. We have three in Pennsylvania, Limerick, TMI and Peachbottom. Limerick is very close to me. My mother is buried at Limerick Garden of Memories and next door is the Power plant. Bliss, you would not say how safe a nuclear power plant is IF you lived in Pennsylvania or Chernobyl.
How many birth defects, there were some, but I am not sure to how many. I do know that the Government told the pregnant women to go five miles from TMI.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 20th, 2009 at 10:34 am
a lot of the people who say there were a lot of defects point to the claim that edison paid out 1.5 million dollars to various people…but this was a legal maneuver, basically any child born with any sort of defect that year got some money.
when you pile up the statistics the area isn’t any different than everywhere else.
Again the maximum exposure rate was about a third of a years normal background radiation exposure, not considered unsafe by most nuclear scientists.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
My great aunt died several years ago.
She used to tell us about how her mother took her to a regular speech/elocution class in Kansas City when she was a little girl.
One of her classmates she called “Little Wally”. I don’t know if “Little Wally” is a name she stuck on him after she realized who he became or if that’s what “Little Wally’s” mother called him at the time.
Funny stuff.
anonymouse Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Walter Cronkite’s father’s name was “Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite”, a dentist.
So, maybe “Little Wally” is what his mother called him.
That would have been around 1925 or so.
July 19th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Elocution classes? Well, it certainly paid off. His voice was something else, right up there with Sean Connery and Richard Burton. Yum!
bahamamama Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Of course the latter two are Welsh.
Celticwitch Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I think that Sean Connery is Scottish, Richard Burton is Welsh.
bahamamama Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
You’re right,Celtic, but he must of had some kind of voice training, his accent isn’t Scottish, either way, who cares, his voice rocks :-)
Celticwitch Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I think Connery is more sexier then he was playing Bond, James Bond!
Celticwitch Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Plus he is an actor, yeah he had voice training because Scots have a very hard to understand lauguage, I heard Scots and it is hard to register.
bahamamama Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I was married to one, A Scot that is. They do make lovely music, playing their pipes wearing those damn sexy kilts, lol!
July 19th, 2009 at 8:01 pm