Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American
broadcast journalist, best known as
anchorman for the
CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–81). During the heyday of
CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll. He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in
World War II; the
Nuremberg trials; combat in the
Vietnam War;
Watergate; the
Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of
President John F. Kennedy, 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 a Moon-rock award. Cronkite is well known for his departing catchphrase "And that's the way it is," followed by the broadcast's date.