The "The" In President Kennedy's Moonage Daydream Speech Of May 25, 1961

“But ‘the’ Earth? Why a definite article? Clearly not to distinguish the Earth from an Earth — from one of those other Earths out there. No, I suspect the purpose of that word was to distance us, however subtly, from our preconceptions.”
 — The Last Word On Nothing’s Richard Panek writes an appreciative meditation on president Kennedy’s use of a precedent “the” in referencing Earth in the speech he gave 50 years ago today calling for NASA to put a man on the moon. It was pretty important!