The year was 1969, and 56 years ago today, the United States made history by successfully landing astronauts on the moon for the first time. Famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin took to social media to commemorate the event:

July 20, 1969. “Contact light, engine stop.” The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down at Tranquility Base on the Moon.

A few hours later, Neil Armstrong and I stepped foot on the Moon, with Michael Collins orbiting close-by.

An achievement resulting from years of… pic.twitter.com/VN4qCoHx0K

— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 20, 2025

The tweet continues:

An achievement resulting from years of incalculable effort, commitment, and team work.

We all contributed to turning President Kennedy’s vision into a reality: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others too.” I am incredibly proud to have taken part in this mission alongside the hundreds of thousands who aided in our journey to the moon and secured our safe return. God bless the USA and all of humanity.

The 95-year-old astronaut, who followed mission commander Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surface, praised John F. Kennedy in his statement, recalling the inspirational words of the late president:

We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…

The speech is one of the most famous in Kennedy’s presidency as he called on the nation to literally reach for the stars—and stay one step ahead of the Soviet Union:

“Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the Moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked,” Kennedy’s speech concluded, according to the JFK Library. 

Happy Moon Landing Day!

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. This photo shows both astronauts on the Moon, with Armstrong reflected in the visor of Aldrin’s helmet. pic.twitter.com/ufM6mFvmHZ

— National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace) July 20, 2025

The Apollo mission was the first time mankind stepped foot on another world. Armstrong led the way, touching down at 9:56 p.m. ET, followed 19 minutes later by Aldrin. Armstrong uttered the famous line heard by millions back on Earth, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Interestingly, it was not exactly what he intended to say, and the omission of one letter made the sentence all that much more powerful:

…after returning from space, Armstrong said that wasn’t what he had planned to say.

He said there was a lost word in his famous one-liner from the moon: “That’s one small step for ‘a’ man.” It’s just that people just didn’t hear it.”

On the anniversary of the amazing technological breakthrough, we’ll stick with Aldrin’s words because he said it best:

God bless the USA and all of humankind.