Neil Armstrong Homecoming Statue

On July 20, 1969, Wapakoneta native Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon, saying the now famous line, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong served as commander of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon with crew members Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21.5 hours on the moon's surface collecting samples and conducting experiments, and the complete mission took a little over eight days. On September 6, 1969, the citizens of Wapakoneta honored their hometown hero with a parade more than two miles long, viewed by a crowd of more than 60,000, as he waved to the crowd along Auglaize Street.

Wapakoneta, Ohio · United States