If you were old enough to be watching TV later in the evening on Christmas Eve in 1968, you probably remember it. It was the moment the crew of Apollo 8, orbiting the Earth the year before the moon landing, read a passage from the Bible. 

They closed with the words I'll never forget, at a time when space travel still filled us all with wonder. 

"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."

Considering all the unrest, wars and political turmoil going on at the time, that video still sends shivers up my spine. (And it proves that some things never change!)

But did you ever wonder who came up with the idea of that Bible passage reading or what else they considered saying that night? The story of how that speech came to be is filled with twists and turns, some crazy ideas  - changing the words to Jingle Bells? - and the unexpected person who came up with what became that famous address to humanity.

Dec. 24, 1968: Apollo 8 broadcasts from the Moon's orbit