“There’s two types of countries in the world, those that have put a man on the moon and those that use the metric system to measure their beer foam. YOU NEED TO MOVE ALONG!” (Quote thanks to 2000Z-71)
Yes, we did - 57 years ago. No one else has.
_________________________________________________________________________ “A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.” -- Mark Twain, 1902
July 20, 2026, 09:17 AM
oddball
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
July 20, 2026, 09:19 AM
Graniteguy
I had this exact photo in my room growing up as a kid. Always thought it was a pretty amazing achievement.
July 20, 2026, 10:35 AM
Pipe Smoker
I haven’t had a TV for decades, including then. So i went to a local bar to watch Armstrong emerge from the lander to set foot (boot) on the lunar surface. But nothing happened for a LONG time. I had to plead with the regulars to keep the channel on the lander.
Serious about crackers.
July 20, 2026, 10:43 AM
Pipe Smoker
quote:
Yes, we did - 57 years ago. No one else has.
Russia still has yet to soft-land ANYTHING on the moon.
Serious about crackers.
July 20, 2026, 11:10 AM
billpocz
quote:
Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
quote:
Yes, we did - 57 years ago. No one else has.
Russia still has yet to soft-land ANYTHING on the moon.
Not sure what you mean...
"The Soviet Union was the first nation to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the moon with the Luna 9 mission in 1966. Over the following decade, the USSR successfully completed multiple robotic missions, including the first uncrewed sample returns with Luna 16 and the deployment of robotic rovers like Lunokhod. While the Soviet Union led early uncrewed lunar exploration, Russia has not had a successful lunar landing since 1976."
* --- Sig 365, 365XL, 245, P6 *
July 20, 2026, 11:13 AM
billpocz
I was just over 9 years old on this date in 1969, we were visiting a WWII buddy of my father in Indiana.
The landing was late, 10 PMish, but was earlier there due to Central Time. I was a space nerd and could not wait!
My mother informs me that she is not going to let me watch it live as she knew that they were going to sink right into the soil....
It only took me a few years, but I finally forgave her!
Saw it the next day!
* --- Sig 365, 365XL, 245, P6 *
July 20, 2026, 11:21 AM
Pipe Smoker
quote:
Originally posted by billpocz:
quote:
Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
quote:
Yes, we did - 57 years ago. No one else has.
Russia still has yet to soft-land ANYTHING on the moon.
Not sure what you mean...
"The Soviet Union was the first nation to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the moon with the Luna 9 mission in 1966. Over the following decade, the USSR successfully completed multiple robotic missions, including the first uncrewed sample returns with Luna 16 and the deployment of robotic rovers like Lunokhod. While the Soviet Union led early uncrewed lunar exploration, Russia has not had a successful lunar landing since 1976."
Thanks for the correction. I know that their recent attempts failed, and had forgotten their earlier successes.
Serious about crackers.
July 20, 2026, 12:02 PM
220-9er
I remember watching this as a kid. The moon walk was supposed to happen on my birthday (tomorrow) but somehow they were able to do it 5 hours ahead of schedule, on the 20th. The one time any government project got ahead of schedule and it changed my birthday from one of the most memorable days in human history into just another day.
Russia still has yet to soft-land ANYTHING on the moon.
Not sure what you mean...
"The Soviet Union was the first nation to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the moon with the Luna 9 mission in 1966. Over the following decade, the USSR successfully completed multiple robotic missions, including the first uncrewed sample returns with Luna 16 and the deployment of robotic rovers like Lunokhod. While the Soviet Union led early uncrewed lunar exploration, Russia has not had a successful lunar landing since 1976."
Thanks for the correction. I know that their recent attempts failed, and had forgotten their earlier successes.
Always brings this great movie to mind
July 20, 2026, 01:01 PM
billpocz
Does anyone remember all of the give-aways during this time?
Gas stations had all sorts of Apollo stuff from coins to models to plates, etc. Posters of all of it seemed to be everywhere!
Had some of them, who knows what happened to them!
* --- Sig 365, 365XL, 245, P6 *
July 20, 2026, 01:57 PM
pbslinger
I've posted this story several times here:
I used to go to my grandfather's cabin on Whitefish Bay, Lake of the Woods for about a month during my teens. I would help him out and part of that was taking his 1936 19' Chris Craft racing runabout or Lyman lapstrake with a 1957 25 Evinrude to town to get mail, groceries, and building supplies. I was 14 in 1969, and went to town that day with my cousin who was a few years younger. I don't know how we found out that was the day for the moon walk, but I decided to stay and we watched at a tourist knick knack shop.
What a great feeling of American pride watching with a mix of Canadians and Yanks. We get in the boat and head back 6 miles to the island after dark, and knowing we'd probably worried my grandfather greatly. All lights off in the cabin when we returned, and I'm expecting a ration of shit that never came. My grandfather was relieved and not worried and just wanted to hear about the moon walk.
Last time I saw my cousin about 10 years ago, he expressed his gratefulness that I made the decision to stay.
July 20, 2026, 04:22 PM
rock185
I was in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Looking up at the Moon, I was awed by the fact that there were men up there...
NRA Life
July 20, 2026, 05:00 PM
reflex/deflex 64
I remember it as if I was awake…
I was not quite 7 yrs old, ate clear up with the space program. I simply could not keep myself awake and could not be aroused by my parents. It’s always kinda upset me that I fell asleep in front of the biggest event of my life up to that time.
Space is such a nothing burger for my grandkids, hard for me to believe.
----------The weather is here I wish you were beautiful----------
July 20, 2026, 05:32 PM
nhtagmember
Remember it as if it were yesterday.
We didn’t have any tv back then but I begged my dad to go up to Ross Electric and rent a color tv. It was $15 for the week.
I also remember right after landing they were supposed to have sleep time but I remember one of them wanting to move the moonwalk up because none of them were going get any sleep.
July 20, 2026, 05:32 PM
Todd Huffman
My aunt worked in the factory that made the mission patches. She got me one to remember the feat. I've still got it, but it needs cleaning badly.
Here's to the sunny slopes of long ago.
July 20, 2026, 05:45 PM
6guns
quote:
Originally posted by pbslinger: I've posted this story several times here:
I used to go to my grandfather's cabin on Whitefish Bay, Lake of the Woods for about a month during my teens. I would help him out and part of that was taking his 1936 19' Chris Craft racing runabout or Lyman lapstrake with a 1957 25 Evinrude to town to get mail, groceries, and building supplies. I was 14 in 1969, and went to town that day with my cousin who was a few years younger. I don't know how we found out that was the day for the moon walk, but I decided to stay and we watched at a tourist knick knack shop.
What a great feeling of American pride watching with a mix of Canadians and Yanks. We get in the boat and head back 6 miles to the island after dark, and knowing we'd probably worried my grandfather greatly. All lights off in the cabin when we returned, and I'm expecting a ration of shit that never came. My grandfather was relieved and not worried and just wanted to hear about the moon walk.
Last time I saw my cousin about 10 years ago, he expressed his gratefulness that I made the decision to stay.
Thanks for that great story!
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July 20, 2026, 06:02 PM
mojojojo
My father worked at Cape Canaveral from the late 60s until his retirement in the mid-90s. First for Rockwell International and then Lockheed. But both directly connected to the space program.
I grew up with all sorts of space paraphernalia; patches, crew photos, models, etc. and later items that had actually flown in space (mainly food or other crew items but also tile from the Space Shuttle).
Growing up on Florida's "Space Coast" meant that rocket launches (including those massive Saturn Vs) we're about 30 seconds of watching it on TV and then walking out back to watch it roar up and past the house. I knew it was special but didn't know how fortunate I was to experience that at the time. Truly blessed to have seen and experienced so many times things many only ever saw on television or in books.
BTW - Apollo 11 landed on my 5th birthday, July 24th 1969.
Icarus flew too close to the sun, but at least he flew.
July 20, 2026, 06:34 PM
maxwayne
I was at Fort Leonard Wood. Basic training hadn't started yet, they just had us picking up trash, getting haircuts, etc.
They let us watch when he walked on the moon. Some were so tired, they chose to sleep.
July 21, 2026, 12:53 AM
Ogie
I was in the hospital recovering from surgery. I watched it on TV there, in my room, with about 10 other people that were there visiting me and my roommate. It was a memorable occasion! I have to add that someone brought a portable TV for us to be able to watch the event.
