From the Video Vault: Apollo 11 Launches

Here’s something you may not have known. Neil Armstrong was a professor at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1979. He specifically taught aerospace engineering. Just two years before he officially became a Bearcat, Armstrong did something else that was pretty cool. HE WALKED ON THE ‘EFFIN MOON!

In fact, as you probably do know, Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, as he got off of Apollo 11 and let out the most famous words in space exploration this side of “Houston, we have a problem,” stating, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Armstrong and the rest of the Apollo 11 crew took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969, exactly 48 years ago today. Although Armstrong, who passed away in 2012, was not a Bearcat at the time, its certainly awesome that UC has such a tight connection with one of the most notable triumphs of the U.S. space program. Here’s video of the actual launch.