Apollo program

Historical eventDecember 141972

Apollo program

Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the most recent person to walk on the Moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission.

Everything on December 14Original source

In context

When
Thursday, December 14 197254 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1970s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1972.

What happened

The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo was conceived in 1960 in the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidency during Project Mercury and executed after Project Gemini. Apollo was later dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's national goal, "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" in his address to the U.S. Congress on May 25, 1961.

December 14 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1972Apollo program
  2. 1999Vargas tragedy
  3. 2003Pervez Musharraf
  4. 2004Millau Viaduct
  5. 2008Baghdad
  6. 2012Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
  7. 2013South Sudanese Civil War
  8. 2017The Walt Disney Company
  9. 2020Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
  10. 2025Rob Reiner
  11. 2025Bondi Beach shooting

Also in 1972

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  • March 14Sterling Airways Flight 296Sterling Airways Flight 296 crashes near Kalba, United Arab Emirates while on approach to Dubai International Airport, killing 112 people.
  • September 15Croatian National ResistanceThree armed members of the Croatian National Resistance hijacked Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130 in an attempt to force the relea…
  • September 15Scandinavian AirlinesA Scandinavian Airlines System domestic flight from Gothenburg to Stockholm is hijacked and flown to Malmö Bulltofta Airport.
  • September 5PalestiniansThe Palestinian militant group Black September took hostage eleven Israeli athletes and coaches at the Olympic Games in Munich, West Germ…
  • September 5Munich massacreMunich massacre: A Palestinian terrorist group called "Black September" attacks and takes hostage 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olymp…
  • June 14Japan Air Lines Flight 471Japan Air Lines Flight 471 crashes on approach to Palam International Airport (now Indira Gandhi International Airport) in New Delhi, Ind…

Everything we record for 1972 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Apollo program”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/apollo-program-1972-december-14, accessed October 28, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Apollo program happen?

December 14 1972 — 54 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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