Neil Armstrong's Birthday! Fun Facts About The First Man To Walk On The Moon

While most people would associate a 'moonwalk' with the 20th century pop icon, Micheal Jackson. There is another notable figure in history known for a moonwalk, and not the dance move. Neil Armstrong was the first man ever to walk on the moon, after which he was also one of the first to return back home from a trip to the moon.

He's the man behind one of the greatest achievements of mankind. Unfortunately, not many people know more about his life other than the fact that he walked on the moon, and his iconic phrase, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Here are a couple fun facts about the astronaut's life that show he was a great man both before and after his accomplishment in space.

1. Did you know that Neil Armstrong first flew a plane when he was as young as 6 years old? It was actually this experience that brought about his passion for wanting to be more involved in aeronautics, which also led him to becoming a licensed pilot as early as 16 years old, and then becoming a naval air cadet only a year later.
2. Did you know that Neil Arrmstrong actually participated in a war? More specifically, he was a pilot in the 1950s Korean War. During one of his bombing runs, his plane was actually hit by fire, which caused it to crash. Thankfully, the pilot managed to eject in time and was later picked up and rescued. He spent upwards of 120 hours in the air during the Korean war, and received several medals for his service to the war.
3. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Just two years later, in 1971, he quit NASA. Deciding to back away from all the fame he received for being the first man on the moon, he instead took more of an administrative role in future space programmes. He was a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati for a while, after which he became the chairman of a number of aerospace-related companies like Computing Technologies For Aviation, EDO Corporation, and NCOS.

While he may not have found fame in all of his ventures before and after the moon landing, his greatness can be felt by the passion he exuded in almost every space he worked in.