Nationality: USA
Inducted: 2024
Notable Record(s):
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First man on the Moon (shared with Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin)
An ICON because...
Landing on the Moon on 20 July 1969, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first men to step on the Moon. Their triumph marked the pinnacle of the Space Race.
Armstrong successfully performed a soft landing aboard the Apollo 11 Lunar Module spacecraft Eagle, and, closely followed by Aldrin, set foot on the Moon's Tranquility Base, located in the Mare Tranquillitatis (lunar mares are basaltic planes that cover roughly 16% of the Moon's surface).
There, the Ohio-born astronaut pronounced the famous words: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
On that night, as the world held its breath while glued to the TV screens, the Apollo 11 Program crowned one of the most ancient, fervent dreams humankind ever dreamed: to set foot on the moon.
