Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and the first human to set foot on the Moon. He was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Armstrong became interested in flying at a young age and earned his pilot’s license at the age of 16. He attended Purdue University and later received a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Southern California.
In 1952, Armstrong joined the United States Navy and served as a naval aviator during the Korean War. After the war, he became a test pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and later NASA. In 1962, he was selected to be an astronaut and participated in the Gemini 8 mission in 1966, becoming the first person to dock two spacecraft together in orbit.
In 1969, Armstrong was chosen to be the commander of the Apollo 11 mission, which would be the first manned mission to land on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and his fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin landed on the Moon’s surface, while Michael Collins remained in orbit around the Moon. Armstrong famously declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” as he took his first steps on the Moon.
After his historic mission, Armstrong retired from NASA in 1971 and became a professor at the University of Cincinnati. He later served as chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc. and as a member of the board of directors for various companies. Armstrong passed away on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82.