Today marks the anniversary of the July 20, 1969 date when Apollo 11 carried astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin to the world's first lunar landing and moon walk.
In the years since, various public and private figures, beginning with President Richard Nixon in 1971, have encouraged state governments and the federal government to officially commemorate the date as National Moon Landing Day or National Moon Day. For now, however, the date continues to be an unofficial observance.
We're marking the achievement today with this ca. 1969 advertisement showing the fabric layers that comprised Armstrong's moon walk suit. The advertisement was created by DuPont to publicize the company's role in manufacturing or developing the high-tech, space age synthetic fabrics that helped make the endeavor possible.
This advertisement is part of Hagley Library's DuPont Company External Affairs Department photograph file (Accession 2004.268). This collection contains images from all aspects of the company's activities and history, which the department compiled for use in advertising and publicity. Only a small portion of the collection has been digitized, but you can view a selection of material online now in our Digital Archive by clicking here.