At the age of six he had his first plane ride and was obsessed with flight from then on, even getting his pilot license before his driver license. High school saw him excel in science and mathematics, and winning a UD Navy scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana. After two years there, he joined the Navy as a fighter pilot, where he flew in the Korean war and was awarded three medals.
Returning to Purdue in 1955, he graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering and joined the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, which later became NASA. From 1955 til 1962 he was a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, in the California High Desert. Leaving Edwards in September of 1962, he became an astronaut and commanded Gemini 8 and backed up Gemini 11.
He became truly famous on July 20, 1969 when, as commander of Apollo 11, he became the first man to step on the surface of the moon, saying, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". After Apollo 11 he retired to teach engineering at University of Cincinnati, where he spent most of the rest of his life.
Repeatedly asked to serve in politics, he always declined, with his most political moments being during the last few years as he spoke out against President Obama's end to the US space program. He very strongly felt that the US should not pay other countries for the ability to reach space, and that returning to the moon should be a priority, calling it a necessity.
When an interviewer once asked what it was like to stand on the moon, Armstrong replied, "It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it". His family expressed the hope that his memory would encourage others to dream, and strive to reach those dreams.
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