In 1961, the United States of America became involved in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This confrontation took place not only on land, sea and in the air, but also in space. On May 25, 1961, recently elected United States President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress, during which he outlined his now famous Man on the Moon challenge. It was through this ambitious dream that the creation of the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA), which President Kennedy challenged to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade, was born. Although he did not live to see his dreams come true, the United States successfully landed astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969 and brought them home safely1. It was President Kennedy's passionate beliefs, which shine through not only in his writing style but also in the way he delivers the speech, that made his point and convinced Congress, industry and the American people to take up his call to arms. President Kennedy made this speech due to significant political pressure. Both his administration and the country as a whole had been subjected to a series of space-related embarrassments by the Soviet Union. They were the first nation to launch a satellite into space (Sputnik-1, 4 October 1957), the first to send an animal into space (Sputnik-2 with the dog Laika on board, 3 November 1957), the first to land a probe on the Moon (Luna-2, 12 September 1959) and the first to put a man into orbit (Vostok-1 with cosmonaut Yuri Gargarin on board, 12 April 1961)1. President Kennedy knew national pride was at stake, so he used the opportunity to push for the most ambitious (and expensive) project since the Panama Canal and for... middle of paper... people to make it happen. happen. The now famous Man on the Moon speech was just one part of President Kennedy's very first State of the Union address. In fact, it was just one of nine points he covered that day. President Kennedy was strongly anti-communist and firmly believed that this country needed something truly big to reassert its dominance over the Soviet Union, especially in an area where they were far ahead of the United States at the time. His decision to address not only members of Congress but the people of the United States as a whole highlights his belief in the good of the country as a whole. It is because of President Kennedy's character, vision, and ability to choose his words carefully and convey his message clearly and with great passion that Congress and the American people have united behind their beloved president and accomplished his dreams..