Neil Armstrong—The Astronaut as Icon: Myth-Busting the Life of The First Man on the Moon
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
16-9-2019 10:00 AM
Description
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing made by American spacecraft Apollo 11, on July 20, 1969, the man who took those historic first steps, Neil Armstrong, has become the subject of renewed fascination. In this talk historian James R. Hansen, author of the only authorized biography of Armstrong, explores the many ways that the iconic Apollo 11 commander has been misunderstood. Hansen, who has spent 20 years studying, thinking, writing, and lecturing about Armstrong will explain how Armstrong, because he was such a private and introspective man who was so hard to know, turned out in later years to be myth personified, an enigma prime to be filled with meaning by others. Armstrong died in 2012, but his legend—as well as the myths—live on.
Recommended Citation
Hansen, James R., "Neil Armstrong—The Astronaut as Icon: Myth-Busting the Life of The First Man on the Moon" (2019). Humanities Symposium. 26.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2019/2019/26
Neil Armstrong—The Astronaut as Icon: Myth-Busting the Life of The First Man on the Moon
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing made by American spacecraft Apollo 11, on July 20, 1969, the man who took those historic first steps, Neil Armstrong, has become the subject of renewed fascination. In this talk historian James R. Hansen, author of the only authorized biography of Armstrong, explores the many ways that the iconic Apollo 11 commander has been misunderstood. Hansen, who has spent 20 years studying, thinking, writing, and lecturing about Armstrong will explain how Armstrong, because he was such a private and introspective man who was so hard to know, turned out in later years to be myth personified, an enigma prime to be filled with meaning by others. Armstrong died in 2012, but his legend—as well as the myths—live on.
Comments
Featured Speaker
Convocation Credit: Society and the Arts & Sciences