Neil Alden Armstrong (1930 - 2012) was an astronaut and aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor.
On 20 July 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM) pilot Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon, and the next day spent two and a half hours outside the Lunar Module Eagle spacecraft. When Armstrong first stepped onto the lunar surface, he famously said: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." It was broadcast live to an estimated 530 million viewers worldwide.
Along with Collins and Aldrin, Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon and received the 1969 Collier Trophy. President Jimmy Carter presented him with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1979, and with his former crewmates received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.
After he resigned from NASA in 1971, Armstrong taught at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati until 1979. In 2012, Armstrong died at the age of 82.
World Press Photo Involvement:
1969 World Press Photo Contest winner
