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The Spectacle Blog
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, passed away today a few weeks following heart surgery. He was 82.
Armstrong was the Commander of the Apollo 11 mission and on July 20, 1969, after setting foot on the moon, said, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”
It would be his last mission in space.
Unlike Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the second man on the Moon, Armstrong shied away from the spotlight. A rare exception to this was when he did a spot for Chrysler in 1979 in an effort to help them out of their financial struggles.
In April 2010, Armstrong (along with Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell and Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan) co-wrote a letter criticizing the Obama Administration for abandoning manned space exploration. A month later, Armstrong and Cernan went to Capitol Hill to testify in front of the Senate Commerce Committee to elaborate their views. During his testimony, Armstrong said, “All because a few planner with little or no space operations experience attempted an end run around the normal planning process and it has been painful to watch.”
Neil Armstrong and the moon landing became such an integral part of our culture that it has made for a lifetime’s worth of amusing anecdotes. I’ll give you two.
The first one involves baseball. Like many pitchers, Gaylord Perry was not known for his hitting prowess. He was a career .131 hitter. Legend has it that San Francisco Giants manager Alvin Dark said back in 1964, “They’ll put a man on the moon before he hits a homerun.” Well, after Apollo 11 landed, Perry hit his first career homerun off Claude Osteen of the Dodgers in a 7-3 Giants win at Candlestick Park.
In 1989, Bob Costas interviewed actress Marilu Henner on NBC’s Later. Henner is, of course, renowned for her memory. Costas asked her what she was doing on July 20, 1969. Henner was overcome with embarassment and thought someone put Costas up to asking her about that date. As it turned out, the night of the moon landing was the night Henner lost her virginity. To which, Costas quipped, “Well, one thing for sure. We know Neil Armstrong wasn’t the culprit.”
I leave you with a rare interview Armstrong did with the late Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes back in 2005.
View all comments (13) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/08/25/neil-armstrong-rip
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Big Java| 8.25.12 @ 6:20PM
I will always remember that first step.
R.I.P.
soljerblue| 8.26.12 @ 2:13AM
The heights and the depths -- the day of the first moon landing was the day the Senator from Chappaquidick drove off Dyke Bridge with Mary Jo Kopechne in the back seat.
RJ| 8.25.12 @ 8:17PM
I am saddened to hear of Neil Armstrong's death. He is one of the Hall of Fame Astronauts, and not just for his moon landing. He was selected for the mission because no one was better. His quick thinking during the Gemini 8 mission was a life saver. If I recall correctly, he also escaped death just before the Apollo 11 mission regarding a helicopter crash which was simulating the LEM landing on the moon. A great pilot. He was the only person who flew the X-15 and the early space vehicles (Gemini & Apollo). I always hoped for the chance to ask him about the similarities and differences (although I have been told that he has written on this topic). I am grateful for the opportunity to have met him. A great man who will be sorely missed.
Indy| 8.25.12 @ 8:32PM
Godspeed Neil Armstrong!
Kingofthenet| 8.25.12 @ 9:40PM
Heaven, The Angel has Landed...
Occam's Tool| 8.25.12 @ 11:05PM
MariLu Henner done for the first time AND landing on the moon. A significant date for all MANkind.
Bob S| 8.26.12 @ 1:53AM
Godspeed Neil Armstrong. He's taken the greatest leap anyone can ever take. RIP
btims86| 8.26.12 @ 6:38AM
Robert "Buzz" Aldrin? Robert? Yikes, come on Aaron, you should know better. Its Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.
Nick| 8.26.12 @ 7:23PM
One correction, Mr. Goldstein.
Neil Armstrong's actual quote was, "That's one small step for A man, one giant leap for mankind."
Mr. Armstrong was one of my heroes, growing up in the 1970s. Along with all the astronauts.
My prayers go out to his family.
R.I.P. Neil Armstrong.
Occam's Tool| 8.26.12 @ 9:05PM
Seriously, though, it was a great day for all mankind, and I can remember what I was doing---standing across the sidewalk from my home, watching them land on my neighbor's black and white TV set, which they had brought outside so the local neighbors, including the kids, could see it together. A beautiful summer night in the Chicago suburbs, and I was so proud of my country that night.
Astronomy was my first scientific love, although I would never have the math brilliance to do it. I nonetheless was pushed towards a scientific career inspired by those heroic fellow Americans. Great men, all three. RIP, Professor Armstrong.
astorian| 8.27.12 @ 8:57AM
That anecdote about Gaylord Perry sounds familiar...
Say! Could Gaylord Perry be Mr. Gorsky?
Al Adab| 8.27.12 @ 12:23PM
American ingenuity and determination- along with not a few German rocket scientists- put Armstrong on the moon. That was over forty years ago. That we have not returned, that this administration canceled plans to do so, is a slap in the face of every person who had a stake in that event. Did america give mankind the hope of the cosmos only to turn the future of humanity over to the Chinese? We had better get back on track and soon. It was no welfare state that did it and not tyranny either.