World Mourns Cronkite's Death

Walter Cronkite, the legendary news anchor at CBS News, passed away on Friday night from cerebrovascular disease at the age of 92 with his family by his side in his New York home. "This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed," President Obama said in a statement. Cronkite died on the anniversary weekend of the first moon landing, which many Americans experienced through his narration. "He had a passion for human space exploration, an enthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience," Neil Armstrong said. Cronkite was originally recruited to CBS in 1950 by Edward R. Murrow, and took over CBS Evening News in 1962. He covered such events as the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of JFK, the Vietnam War, Apollo 11, and Watergate. When Cronkite said that, after the Tet Offensive, the Vietnam War was unwinnable, President Johnson famously announced, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.” He retired from the CBS Evening News in 1981, and was succeeded by Dan Rather.