Walter Cronkite civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award. Cronkite is well known for his departing catchphrase, "And that's the way it is," followed by the date of the broadcast. Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the son of Helen Lena (née Fritsche) and Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite, a dentist. Cronkite lived in Kansas City, Missouri,
Walter Cronkite "Dinosaur!" on A&E (not related to the documentary of the same title hosted by Christopher Reeve on CBS six years earlier), and a 1994 follow-up series, "Ape Man: The Story of Human Evolution". In 1995, he narrated the World Liberty Concert held in the Netherlands. Cronkite routinely hosted the Kennedy Center Honors from 1981 to 2002. Cronkite appeared briefly in the 2005 dramatic documentary "The American Ruling Class" written by Lewis Lapham; the 2000 film "Thirteen Days" reporting on the Cuban Missile Crisis; and provided the opening synopsis of the American Space Program leading to the events in Apollo 13