Neil Armstrong - Biography

Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, on a farm near Wapakoneta in the western Ohio, USA. He took his first airplane ride at the age of 6. He was fascinated with aviation, so he started to build model aeroplanes and conducted experiments in a homemade wind tunnel. As a boy, he worked at a pharmacy and took flying lessons. He was licensed to fly at 16, before he got his driver’s license. He always paced ahead, not back. He is known

around the globe as the first man to step on the moon.

NASA reported that Armstrong commanded Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. His first words after setting foot on the moon are etched in history books and the memories of the people.

“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” Armstrong said when he landed on the moon.

It is reported that Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the lunar surface. They collected samples, conducted experiments and took photographs.

“The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to,” Armstrong once said.

Armstrong was a modest and simple person. He never allowed himself to be caught up in the celebrity and glamour. He said once, “I am, and ever will be, an engineer. And I feel proud of my own profession.”

On Saturday, August 25, 2012, a true American astronaut lost his life at the age of 82. Neil Armstrong is recalled to have been the first person to bravely leave our world behind and set foot on another.

 “We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away from cardiovascular complications.”  Armstrong’s family said in a statement.

It is reported that Armstrong underwent heart surgery that month.

“While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve as a cause greater than themselves,” his family said.

“When you walk along the way under the full and bright moon, please wink your eyes at in the name of Neil Armstrong”, a bereaved family member expressed at his death.

In most parts of the world, people held a minute silence in the memory of Armstrong on Saturday. Even though he is not physically with us but he will always remain in our hearts.