<P> He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; the Dawson's Field hijackings; 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 . </P> <P> 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 . </P> <P> Cronkite is well known for his departing catchphrase "And that's the way it is," followed by the broadcast's date . </P> <P> Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the son of Helen Lena (née Fritsche; August 1892--November 1993), and Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite (September 1893--May 1973), a dentist . He had remote Dutch ancestry on his father's side, the family surname originally being Krankheyt and German ancestry on his mother's side . </P>

Who said and that's the way it is