On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. walked on the moon. They planted an American flag and left a plaque inscribed, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon . . . We came in peace for all mankind.” The astronauts addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress on September 16, 1969.
Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives and Records Administration
Men on the Moon, July 20, 1969
Sending Americans into Space
In the 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union began programs for manned and unmanned scientific missions into space. The Soviets’ successful launch of the unmanned Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 made Congress determined to jolt the U.S. space program into action. Winning the race to space became a political, scientific, and security priority. The United States intensified its efforts to be the first nation to send a man to the moon.
On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. walked on the moon. They planted an American flag and left a plaque inscribed, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon . . . We came in peace for all mankind.” The astronauts addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress on September 16, 1969.
Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives and Records Administration
