I remember as a kid in Brooklyn, staying up late one summer night in 1969 to watch two Earthmen land on the moon. Somehow I knew that this event would be the one notable historical footnote of the 20th century when Earth's history is taught 5,000 years from now.
I also think that Neil Armstrong, the quiet, humble, strong man who became the first human to take a step on another world, will also be the only name taught in schools a few thousand years from now when the 20th century is discussed.
Mass murderers from the Dark side like Hitler, Stalin and Mao won't even make a blip in history when hundreds of centuries must be highlighted by small asterisks; neither will their opposites on the good side, Roosevelt, Churchill, Reagan, Ghandi...
When Earth children of the year 7012 are asked what do they know about the 20th century, the only answer will be one name, Neil Armstrong and one date when man landed and walked on the moon, Sunday, July 20, 1969.
