On this day, 49 years ago, two men made history. They visited a whole new world, one which no one on Earth had ever stepped on. Scroll through these slides to read more about this milestone in history.

In July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. When Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin walked on the moon, around 600 million people around the world watched. As Armstrong took his first step, making a mark in history, his voice beamed back to Earth with the iconic words, “…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

The goal

In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy set a national goal of landing a man on the moon and bringing him back to Earth safely. In 1968, Apollo 8 and its crew of three orbited the moon and came back safely. The next year, Apollo 10 came close to landing — a mission that was like a dress rehearsal. These two missions paved the way for the successful landing in July 1969.

Destination Moon

When Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy in the U.S., it carried with it three astronauts — Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins. The trio travelled more than 3.86 lakh km, covering the distance in about 76 hours. The lunar module that was built to make the landing was called the Eagle, after the national bird of the U.S. When the Eagle landed at the Sea of Tranquility, only 30 seconds more of fuel remained. Armstrong got off first, and Aldrin joined him soon after. While the duo explored the surface for more than two hours, collecting rock samples and data, Collins remained behind, piloting the spacecraft.

Return

On the moon, the astronauts left a U.S. flag and a plaque that read “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

They splashed down back in the Pacific Ocean, more than eight days after they had taken off from Earth. Since then, 10 more men have walked on the moon, leaving their footprints there for eternity.

Quick facts

The moon is the only place besides Earth where humans have set foot.

The gravity on the moon is one-sixth of Earth’s, which is why astronauts seem to bounce on its surface.

30 Earth-sized planets could fit into the distance between the Earth and the moon.

The moon is slowly moving away from the Earth, about an inch farther every year.

The moon makes the Earth more liveable, moderating its wobble on its axis and making its climate relatively stable.

Long ago, the moon had active volcanoes. None of them has erupted for millions of years now.

Half a year may have whizzed past us, but July itself will be a wonder, as the skies buzz with aerial activities. The month will end with a full moon on July 27, and it is also called the Full Buck Moon because the male buck deer begin to grow their antlers around this time. This moon has also been known as the Full Thunder Moon and the Full Hay Moon.

Scroll through the timeline below to see what else this month has in store for us.