Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the
moon, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with
astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; and
Alan L. Bean aboard. President Richard Nixon viewed the
liftoff from Pad A at Cape Canaveral, the first president to 
attend the liftoff of a manned space flight.

Thirty-six seconds after takeoff, lightning struck the ascending
Saturn 5 launch rocket, which tripped the circuit breakers in the command module and caused a power failure. Fortunately, the
launching rocket continued up normally, and within a few
minutes power was restored in the spacecraft.

December 12, 1969