Neil Armstrong lied about that famous "One small step for man" line. It turns out that the line was preplanned and not a spontaneous utterance as he had claimed. That's the surprising allegation coming from one of the astronaut's own family members.
According to Armstrong’s brother Dean, the most famous astronaut in history lied about the origins of that historic line. Dean claims that Neil wrote the line months before Apollo 11 headed to the moon with him aboard. A Business Insider report dated Dec. 31, 2012 reported that Dean Armstrong clarified the timing of the line's creation in a new documentary, "Neil Armstrong — First Man on the Moon," which first aired on Sun., Dec. 30, 2012.
Armstrong will always be remembered as the first man to walk on the moon. This great accomplishment took place on July 20, 1969. He famously uttered the words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," during the experience. Interestingly, it wasn't what he actually planned to say. The correct quote was supposed to be, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," but he omitted the article "a" before "man." He always maintained that he uttered the phrase correctly, and according to Washington Post, NASA believed him. Even though "a" is inaudible on the recording of that famous speech, a 2006 computer analysis determined that he probably did say it at the time.
Neil Alden Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He died on Aug. 25, 2012, just weeks after his 82nd birthday. The astronaut's family shared the sad news of his death at the time in a statement that reads, in part, "We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures."
Does it really matter if Neil Armstrong lied about when he created his famous line? The truth remains that he did indeed write that oft-quoted line himself. He just had the foresight to plan it in advance. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and his contributions to the fields of science and space cannot be discounted.
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