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Neil Armstrong (1930 - 2012)

Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. Armstrong’s first spaceflight was aboard Gemini 8 in 1966. On 20 July 1969, as Commander of Apollo 11, he became the first man to set foot on the moon, famously observing as he did so: ‘That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.’ While there is no dispute that Armstrong is descended from Border Reivers, Armstrong’s authorized biographer has challenged the hitherto prevailing view that his Reiver ancestors ever settled in County Fermanagh.

Further reading: James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (2005).

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