Click on the link here for Audio player: Moon – Landing-7-20-69
Shocking and sad – the news of the death today of Neil Armstrong, forever known as the First Man On The Moon.
And as a reminder of just how much of an icon he was to millions of people, not to mention the millions of school kids watching with dropped jaws as Neil Armstrong took those first steps on the Moon, here is an excerpt from that historic broadcast from July 20, 1969.
The passing of an American hero. Rest in peace.
Thanks for this, Gordon. I was just shy of my 18th birthday on that day, and watched those first live images from Luna, mesmerized, with my father, who shushed my effusions by saying, “Shut up, boy. I’ve been waiting for this all my life. So have you.” I thought Neil Armstrong would live forever. I guess he will.
Me too Fred – just shy of my 18th.
Gordon, The power of an idea makes it possible. As a man of similar age, I’m certain you remember when the vistas were open and available for all, as they are now, truth to tell. Your archives prove you do, and that you value it. I lament the trend of American thought that somehow has come to be a thin gruel filtered through the cheesecloth of pundits. Raw history is the best teacher, and it’s clear to me that the preservation of it, abetted by folks like you, is far more precious than such cant as “The Limbaugh Letter.” Neil Armstrong grew up 30 miles from where I did. There’s a museum in his hometown, Wapakoneta, Ohio, that struggles to find funds to remain open. It is not often visited, and that’s a travesty. Yet we’ll now have a few days of Armstrong worship, then the world will forget. But I won’t, and neither will you. Thank you for your very valuable effort to maintain a sense of accuracy in our increasingly dipshit culture. Nothing tops truth. Kindest regards.
Thanks for the kind words Fred. I do my best, even though it sometimes feels like the sound of one-hand clapping. Still, I feel as though I need to give something back, and this is my way of doing it. I do what I can with the tools I have and I know exactly how the museum feels.
Best wishes – I’ll be here as long as you are.
G.