P 402 Neil A. Armstrong Collection

              P 402
Neil A. Armstrong Audiovisual Collection
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OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Audiovisual Collections
NEIL A. ARMSTRONG COLLECTION
1933 - 1972
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Number:
P 402
Title:
Neil A. Armstrong Collection
Creator:
Dispatch Printing Company
Dates:
1933- 1972
Media:
Photographs and Negatives
Quantity:
0.34 cubic feet
Location:
Ohio Historical Center
BIOGRAPHY OF NEIL A. ARMSTRONG
Neil A. Armstrong was born in Auglaize County, Ohio on August 5, 1930 to Stephen and Viola Armstrong. Neil Armstrong’s interest in airplanes began during childhood and as a teenager he earned his pilot’s license before receiving his driver’s license. After graduating from high school in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Armstrong attended Purdue University on a Navy scholarship. In 1949, he was called to active duty during the Korean War and flew seventy- eight combat missions. In 1952, he resigned from the Navy and returned to Purdue to finish his degree in aeronautical engineering.
After college, Armstrong worked as a test pilot, and in 1962, the National Air and Space Administration ( NASA) selected him to train as an astronaut for the Gemini and Apollo projects. He was command pilot for Gemini 8, which launched on March 16, 1966. He was also chosen as flight commander for Apollo 11, which was launched on July 16, 1969. It was as flight commander of Apollo 11 that he became the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong’s hometown of Wapakoneta celebrated his achievement with a parade on September 7, 1969.
Armstrong was supported in his work as an astronaut by his wife Jan and sons Ricky and Mark. In 1971, he resigned from NASA. From 1971- 1979 he worked as a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati and later served on the boards of several