Zeroes and fives

Yesterday passed without the significance of the date even dawning on me. It has been 39 years since a man-made spacecraft landed on the moon and a human first set foot on another celestial body.

Maybe my memory would have been better if I had actually been alive on July 20, 1969 and could remember the day firsthand. But still, it's one of the most important dates in human history.

Lester Holt made a very good point that I've mentioned to people before. What's the deal with our fascination with anniversaries that end in zeroes and fives? Why is the 39th anniversary of Apollo 11 less noteworthy 40th? As Lester predicts, there wasn't much talk about it yesterday, but we'll hear tons about it next year.