The King James Bible has appeared in a vast variety of cultural settings in the centuries since 1611. Authors and poets allude to its passages; composers from Handel to Bob Marley have set its words to music. Animators and visual artists are inspired by its phrases. Presidents often use King James Bibles at their inaugurations, and many families still keep records of key events in copies that become family heirlooms.
The farthest physical reach of the King James Bible to date came on Christmas Eve 1968, when the Apollo 8 astronauts orbiting the Moon read from Genesis in a broadcast heard by half a billion people.
 The Creation of Fish and Birds, Paradise Lost. The Bridgeman Art Library International. |
 A Charlie Brown Christmas. CBS/Photofest. |
 Handel's Messiah. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir. Photo by Gary Beechey. |
