It was John F. Kennedy who declared the national goal that by the end of the decade (the 1960s), an American would walk on the moon. Richard Nixon's presidency saw that happen in 1969.
Of course, there was also the controversial Vietnam War at the time as well. Also, Nixon is perhaps most well known by the Watergate scandal, which led to his resignation. But, I am grateful even for that because I was once an intern in the Watergate building in Washington D.C., just a few floors above the former DNC offices. I'm grateful for this because of the opportunity to discover the Watergate complex. Had the scandal not happened, I probably wouldn't have heard of this place as much or cared as much, especially as I discovered how nice the complex is, and the quality of the restaurants and shops there. I now see the scandal as but one piece of the building's history.
I have one more reason to be grateful for Nixon: his 1972 visit to China. Why? Because a man named John Adams wrote an opera about it. I once was writing a paper on the history of minimalistic music, and I ran into this opera in my research. I also watched a DVD recording of it. It is a long, slow, and sometimes nonsensical piece, part satire and part melancholy reflection. Still, I was impressed that a full-length opera had been written on so recent a subject. And truly, Nixon's visit to China was noteworthy, given the history of China and the United States.
Take all this as you will, I am grateful for Richard M. Nixon.
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