July 20 marks the 50th anniversary of man’s first steps on the moon. This writer, as well as millions of other television viewers, watched with rapt attention on Sunday afternoon, July 20, 1969 as Neil Armstrong climbed carefully down the ladder from the Apollo Lunar Module and was the first human to put his foot on the moon saying, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Many Americans, even those who objected to the price tag, felt proud of the accomplishment, especially since the Soviet Union had previously launched Sputnik (replica shown) into orbit, making it the Earth’s first man-made satellite in October of 1957 and beating the American effort into space. Americans were relieved to see the United States beat the Soviet Union to the moon.