Cracked BuckeyeCracked Buckeye

Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1969

First person on the Moon

Neil Armstrong, born August 5, 1930 in Washington Township (near Wapakoneta, Auglaize County), became the first person to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as Apollo 11 commander.

At a glance

Year
1969
By
Neil Armstrong
Company
NASA
Place
Wapakoneta, Auglaize County ZIP 45895 · Wapakoneta · Auglaize County

The story

In 1961 President Kennedy had set the goal of landing a person on the Moon. The steps ahead were enormous: docking in orbit, living in space, and a safe landing. Neil Armstrong, a naval aviator and test pilot, became the commander who did it.

He was born August 5, 1930 in Washington Township, near Wapakoneta, Ohio. He studied aeronautical engineering at Purdue with Navy funding, became a naval aviator in 1950, flew combat missions in Korea, and finished at Purdue in 1955. As a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base he flew the X-15 rocket plane seven times.

In March 1966 he commanded Gemini 8, which made the first docking of a spacecraft with an uncrewed Agena target. On July 20, 1969 he and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon in Apollo 11 while Michael Collins orbited above. Armstrong spent about 2.5 hours on the first moonwalk and said, that it was one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

He taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1979 and died August 25, 2012, at 82, after complications from heart surgery. The Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, opened July 20, 1972, holds his Gemini 8 capsule and two of his spacesuits.

Timeline

  • 1930-08-05: Armstrong is born near Wapakoneta, Ohio. (Wapakoneta, OH) source
  • 1950: He becomes a naval aviator. source
  • 1966-03: Gemini 8 makes the first docking with an uncrewed Agena target. (in orbit) source
  • 1969-07-20: Armstrong and Aldrin land on the Moon; the first moonwalk lasts about 2.5 hours. (the Moon) source
  • 1971-1979: Armstrong teaches aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. (Cincinnati, OH) source
  • 1972-07-20: The Armstrong Air and Space Museum opens in Wapakoneta. (Wapakoneta, OH) source
  • 2012-08-25: Armstrong dies at age 82. source

What it changed

  • First person to walk on the Moon.
  • The museum in his hometown drew about 10,000 people to its opening.

Why it matters

Apollo 11.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.