On this day in 1969, history was made when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the Moon. His now-legendary words, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind,” echoed around the world as more than 500 million people watched the moment live. But Armstrong’s journey to that iconic step began long before Apollo 11 launched into space.
Born and raised near Wapakoneta, Ohio, Neil Armstrong developed a passion for aviation at a young age. By the time he was 16, he had already earned his student flight certificate and completed his first solo flight—before he even had a driver’s license. At 17, Armstrong began studying aeronautical engineering at Purdue University, though his education was interrupted by service in the Korean War, where he flew 78 combat missions as a Navy pilot.
After the war, Armstrong went to work for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the predecessor of NASA, where he became a test pilot and eventually transitioned to astronaut training. Despite submitting his application to join NASA’s Astronaut Corps a week after the deadline in 1962, Armstrong was quietly added to the pool by an ally at Edwards Air Force Base. He was selected as one of two civilian test pilots for Project Gemini.
Armstrong made his first trip into space as command pilot of Gemini 8 in 1966. During the mission, he performed the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit—a milestone that paved the way for future lunar missions.
Then, on July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to land on the Moon. While Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module, Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface in the Lunar Module Eagle. Armstrong stepped out first, taking humanity’s historic first step. Among the items he carried were pieces of the Wright Brothers’ original aircraft and a World Scout Badge, symbolizing both the past and the future of exploration.
Nineteen minutes after Armstrong’s first step, Aldrin joined him, becoming the second human to walk on the Moon. Together, they planted the American flag, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the landing, and collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material. They spent a total of 21 hours and 36 minutes on the Moon before rejoining Collins for the journey back to Earth. Their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean was followed by an 18-day quarantine and a global celebration tour, hailed as the “Giant Leap” tour.
Years later, an unusual legal battle would bring a piece of that lunar mission back into the spotlight. In 2015, a woman named Nancy Lee Carlson purchased a “lunar collection bag” used by Armstrong at a government auction for just $995. After confirming its authenticity with NASA, a dispute over ownership led to a court case—and Carlson ultimately retained the bag, selling it in 2017 for $1.8 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
Despite the fame that followed the Moon landing, Armstrong chose not to return to space. He retired from NASA in 1971 and became a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He also served as a spokesperson for several American companies, including Chrysler and the Bankers Association of America, but largely stayed out of the public spotlight.
Neil Armstrong passed away on August 25, 2012, from complications following bypass surgery. But his legacy endures—not only in the history books, but in every dream of space exploration that followed.