Simply put, Neil Armstrong is an American hero, and today we’re celebrating the man behind that “one small step” that changed the course of history by looking at some interesting tidbits that a lot of people don’t know. Let’s get into it.
(image via: wikipedia)
Pics or It Didn’t Happen
While landing and stepping on the actual moon was a huge deal, there aren’t any great photos of it even happening. The reasoning behind the lack of photos is simple enough: Armstrong didn’t really think about it. Or care. And while that’s reason enough for us, you don’t need us to tell you that lack of photographs has opened the door for a number of conspiracy theories.
Baby Steps
Before Neil Armstrong could drive a car, the man could fly a plane. In fact, his father started taking him flying at the age of 6, and by the age of 15, he was confident in his flying abilities, earning his student flight certificate at 16, before receiving his driving permit.
Quarantining Before Qurarntine Was, Well, Considered Normal
Once Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins returned to Earth they had to be quarantined for about three weeks just in case they had contracted any weird space diseases. When President Nixon visited the men to congratulate them and welcome them home, he had to do so through a glass window.
(image via: npr)
Birds Eve View
The year was 1985 and Neil Armstrong visited somewhere else that’s pretty cool, though not as cool as the moon, the North Pole! The trip was arranged by Mike Dunn who was very selective about who went on this journey. Aside from Armstrong, the group consisted of Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first men to reach the top of Mt. Everest, Steve Fossett, a record-setting aviator, and Patrick Morrow, an extreme mountain climber. So yeah, you had to do some pretty impressive stuff before you were invited on this trip. While on the trip Neil Armstrong stated that it was pretty cool to see the North Pole from the ground versus from space.
One Giant Leap for a Bra Manufacturer
Neil Armstrong’s space suit was made by, wait for it, Playtex, or the International Latex Corporation. No matter how you slice it, it’s the company known primarily for making bras. Think about it, the company knew textiles, the company knew seams, and it paid off, their Apollo mission suits were award-winning. Armstrong himself even described the suit as “reliable” and “cuddly”.