History of 21st July – Armstrong steps on the Moon
The history of 21st July ranges from ancient times to the modern era. It covers events such as the destruction of the Temple of Artemis, the Crete Earthquake and tsunami, and many more. The feature story is about the monumental achievement of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing.
Glancing through the pages from the history of 21st July I find it was this day Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. This incident happened in the year 356 BCE. Again in the year 365 BCE, the Crete Earthquake was followed by a tsunami around the Eastern Mediterranean and destroyed Alexandria.
Moving on with the history of 21st July we come to the year 1718 when the Treaty of Passarowitz was signed between the Ottoman Empire, Austria, and the Republic of Venice following which peace was restored bringing in significant change.
The history of 21st July continues with several other significant events like Holland legalizing the death penalty for “sodomy” in the year 1730, Napoleon Bonaparte winning the Battle of Pyramids in Egypt (Battle of Embabeh) against Mamluk rulers, wiping out most of the Egyptian army in 1798 and many more.
Each of these events has contributed to the world as we know it today. I intend to share them with my readers eventually, as of now let me focus on the feature story from the history of 21st July.
Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon
On July 21, 1969, at 02:56 GMT, Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first person to set foot on the Moon. Stepping out of the Apollo 11 lunar module into an area known as the ‘Sea of Tranquility,’ he etched his name in history.
The safe landing of the lunar module was confirmed by Armstrong at 20:17 GMT when he radioed Houston with the famous words: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Then, as he took his first step onto the Moon’s surface, he immortalized the moment with the iconic phrase: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
At 03:15 GMT, Armstrong was joined by his fellow astronaut and lunar module pilot, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. Together, they carried out various scientific tasks, collecting data and soil samples from the lunar surface. At 03:41 GMT, they proudly planted the US flag, symbolizing their nation’s achievement in space exploration. Alongside the flag, they unveiled a plaque bearing President Nixon’s signature, bearing the inscription: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.”
As Aldrin and Armstrong worked on the Moon’s surface, Michael Collins, the third member of the Apollo 11 crew, remained in the mothership Columbia, successfully orbiting the Moon. The scheduled take-off was planned for 17:50 GMT, ensuring their safe return to Earth after a historic and awe-inspiring mission.
That’s all from the history of 21st July.
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