Yesterday we visited the
Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, the birthplace of
Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon). Just inside the front door to the museum is a long hallway with pictures and credentials of astronauts born in Ohio. I was not surprised to learn that 24 astronauts consider Ohio their home state, including
John Glenn. Ohio has given us many leaders and thinkers, sons and daughters of agriculture and industry who understand and appreciate the power of innovation and imagination. I feel another article coming on, but I'll save it for another day. This one's about the museum.
It is a small museum and not crowded at all. We had it all to ourselves minus the employees. We found our way through various displays depicting the earliest days of space travel. From the first science fiction stories
by H.G. Wells about men traveling to the moon, to the launching of
Sputnik by the Soviet Union (which spurned the
Space Race with the United States), and finally culminating in a reverent space dedicated to Neil Armstrong's famous steps upon the moon. Included are his medals and awards, keys to various cities, trophies, newspaper clippings kept by his mother, and artwork donated from around the world, all together celebrating that historical moment that took place in the summer of 1969.
What was once taught to children in science class is now being taught as history.
