Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012
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Neil Armstrong has passed away. The man was the first person to walk on another planet, a feat thought not just impossible, but inconceivable, for 99.99% of humanity’s existence. He transformed what could have been a moment of supreme personal glory or nationalistic fervor into a achievement for the entire human race with his immortal words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He lived his life with a quiet dignity, never seeking fame or glory or trying to benefit from his incredible accomplishment. Of all the remembrances issued this week, I find current NASA administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr.’s to be the most apt: “As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind’s first small step on a world beyond our own.”
About The Author
Robert Bricken is one of the original co-founders of the site formerly known as Topless Robot, and its first editor-in-chief, serving from 2008-12. He brought the site to prominence with “nerd news, humor and self-loathing” as its motto, raising it from total internet obscurity to a readership in the millions, with help from his savage “FAQ” movie reviews and Fan Fiction Fridays. Under his tenure Topless Robot was covered by Gawker, Wired, Defamer, New York magazine, ABC News, and others, and his articles have been praised by Roger Ebert, Avengers actor Clark Gregg, comedian and The Daily Show correspondent John Hodgman, the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax, and others. He is currently the managing editor of io9.com. Despite decades as both an amateur and professional nerd, he continues to be completely unprepared for either the zombie apocalypse or the robot uprising.