Cronkite grew teary and his voice cracked as he told the nation in 1963 that Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas.

After watching the bloody 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam, a disillusioned Cronkite told his viewers:

"We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of American leaders, both in Vietnam and in Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds. ... It seems now more than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in stalemate."

Cronkite said in 2006 that the Tet report was his favorite story and many believe it led President Lyndon Johnson not to seek re-election in 1968. Johnson was quoted as saying, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America."

When he retired from the anchor job, Cronkite had expected to still get special assignments and projects from CBS and was disappointed it did not work out that way.

Cronkite, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, spent his later years making documentaries, writing books, giving speeches and exercising his passion for sailing. He also campaigned against global warming and spoke out against the Iraq war.

In April 1997, he underwent successful quadruple bypass heart surgery.

Cronkite's wife of 64 years, Betsy, died in 2005 from cancer. They had three children.