On this date in 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins spoke to a jubilant crowd at the North American Rockwell (now Boeing) plant in Seal Beach across Bay Boulevard (now Seal Beach Boulevard) from where the second stage Saturn rockets were assembled.
Neil Armstrong had become the first man to walk on the moon a little over two months earlier on July 20, 1969, but he was already looking to a future where larger space vehicles would allow for cooperative missions with both U.S. and Russian astronauts. He felt that manned space flights were “good mediums” for cooperation between nations.
When asked if the Apollo 11 crew had heard from the Flat Earth Society about the moon landing, Armstrong joked that Mike Collins had suggested sending in applications.
Armstrong and Collins then left by helicopter to attend a celebration in Downey where the Apollo capsules were built.
Also my baby brother Matt was born on this date in 1969.
– Michael Dobkins
Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?
If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.
Donations can be made securely with most major credit cards directly through PayPal. Just click on paypal.me/MichaelDobkins to go to PayPal. Thank you.
This Date in Seal Beach History also has an online store hosted at Cafepress where you can order shirts, tote bags, stationery, and other gift items imprinted with vintage Seal Beach images. Visit the online store by clicking here.
Leave a Reply