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On July 16, 1969 Apollo 11 launches for the trip to land the first man on the Moon.
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...lo_11_Crew.jpg
Left to right: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin
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Launched: July 16, 1969
Landed on the The Moon: July 20, 1969
Returned to The Earth: July 24, 1969
On May 25, 1961, Kennedy addressed the United States Congress on "Urgent National Needs" and declared:
I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish. We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft. We propose to develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until certain which is superior. We propose additional funds for other engine development and for unmanned explorations – explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight. But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the Moon – if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.
— Kennedy's speech to the congress
July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind
It was 50 years ago today.
At 10:56 p.m. EDT Armstrong is ready to plant the first human foot on another world. With more than half a billion people watching on television, he climbs down the ladder and proclaims: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."