50 years later: Apollo 8's holiday message

Fifty years ago, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman became the first humans to leave Earth's orbit, arriving at the moon on Christmas Eve.

The mission to orbit the moon was unprecedented.

Humbled by their mission, the three men read the first 10 verses from the Book of Genesis in a broadcast. It was the most-watched television broadcast at the time.

“From the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a merry Christmas and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth,” Borman said in the ending the transmission.

The event was commemorated by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp in 1969.