BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Buzz Aldrin asks: Where were you?

Since 1969 was 41 years ago today, if you are younger than that--or not many years older--I guess this question isn't for you.

I was in Salerno, Italy and having never been out of the USA before, was more excited about that than NASA's going to the Moon. But the Moon mission was what everyone was talking about. These days I could answer a lot of people's questions, but then I wasn't any help.

Anyone who didn't have a television was making sure they'd somewhere that did in order to watch the landing. It was a big social event. The whole front page of the newspapers the next day were dedicated to the story.

So, BellaOnline Readers, where were you when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to set foot on another world?

I was pregnant with my 3rd child, lying on the couch, feeling quesy from all-day sickness, watching the landing on tv. I'll never forget it - literally out of this world!

It was a Sunday & the first day of my very first Boy Scout week-long resident camp; at Camp Tahosa, west of Boulder, Colorado. We (the whole camp participants) were crammed into a dining hall watching a wallmounted 21" B&W TV & delayed the opening campfire/evening program.

The Eagle had landed & 2 years later I became an Eagle Scout.

I watched it on TV. I was getting ready to leave for Navy boot camp just a couple weeks later. Quite an event!

Oh Susan, I can imagine that it was memorable on all fronts. Everyone I've asked who's old enough seems to remember something about that day, even one who wasn't interested enough to watch. I guess your offspring is also able to claim some connection with the historic moment.

JoanJ, thanks for sharing.

It was a great event and I was impressed with all the material that was collected for last year's anniversary. But decided not to go through the whole event all over again, as offered on one website!

Beetlemess, when you wrote about your Apollo-Boy Scout connection, I was reminded of Michael Collins's book. He said that most of the astronauts had been Boy Scouts. (He was an exception.) And well, well, Eagle Scout, huh?

Hey, Mona I was age 11 that year so I probably was outside playing or at the Discovery Beach back in Jamaica, West Indies = love to swim. Back then we were lucky to have a "black & white" TV and if you did, you had ONE channel that operated part of the day or night = not the 24 hours we have now(lol). Great post - made alot of us think.....

July 20 is the 45th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing. Buzz Aldrin asks where *you* were when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Use #Apollo45 to share your story on the special Youtube page or your social media. Find out more here.

I remembered that some of us answered Aldrin's question several years ago - before he even asked, we're always helpful at Bellaonline! So I've merged that topic with this new one.

So where were *you* when the first humans stepped out on the Moon? The hashtag for social media is #Apollo45, but you don't need that for this forum.