First moon landing, 1969

20 Jul 1969

On July 20th 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, part of the crew of Appollo 11, became the first men to walk on the surface of the moon. The Apollo 11 mission was the culmination of the Apollo programme, initiated after Preisdent John F Kennedy's 1961 promise to land men on the moon by the end of the decade. It was the second mission of the programme, after Apollo 1 (1967) tragically exploded on the launch pad during a test, with the death of all on board.

The above pictures were broadcast live, allowing viewers around the world to hear Neil Armstrong's now-famous words: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind".