“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

These are the famous words spoken by Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon. Armstrong was also an engineer, a pilot and a college professor.

After the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong said his microphone didn’t pick up the word “a,” so what he actually said was, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

During the mission, which occurred from July 16, 1969, to July 24, 1969, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin captured the attention of Americans back home. On July 20, 1969, almost 50 years ago to the day, Americans watched live as Armstrong stepped onto the moon, with Aldrin to follow. Michael Collins was also part of the mission but did not land.

“Armstrong and Aldrin spent more than two hours outside their spacecraft on the moon,” NASA.gov says. “They collected rocks. After almost a day, they blasted off. They docked with Collins in orbit around the moon. All three then flew back to Earth.”

After Apollo 11, Armstrong retired from NASA. He died Aug. 25, 2012, at the age of 82.

Once again, our local libraries continue their summer reading and activity programs. To honor the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, many of the libraries in The Press coverage areas are hosting events for all ages to commemorate this special occasion, with a theme titled “A Universe of Stories.”

Below are a few events to take advantage of. Registration is required for most of them. Check each library’s website for more information and for additional themed events.

Whitehall Township Public Library, 3700 Mechanicsville Road

• Sunsational Sun and Marvelous Moon event (for youth), 10 a.m. July 18

• “Apollo 11” movie (for all ages), 1 p.m. July 20

Coplay Public Library, 49 S. Fifth St.

• Lunar landing 50th anniversary party (for all ages), noon July 20

• Astronaut activities (for primary-aged students), 3 p.m. Aug. 14

Northampton Area Public Library, 1615 Laubach Ave.

• LED illuminated night skies workshop (for teens), 2 p.m. July 22

• Water rockets activity (for teens), 2 p.m. Aug. 6

Public Library of Catasauqua, 302 Bridge St.

• “Apollo 11” movie (for all ages), 1:30 p.m. July 23

Emmaus Public Library, 11 E. Main St.

• Universe-themed storytime (for children and youth), 10:30 a.m. July 23

• Build-your-own space station craft (for children and youth), 10 a.m. Aug. 3

Lower Macungie Library, 3450 Brookside Road

• Galaxy Quest event (for grades 1-3), 10:30 a.m. July 23

• Moon Dust: Not Your Typical Souvenir event (for adults), 6 p.m. July 30

Parkland Community Library, 4422 Walbert Ave., Allentown

• Sunsational Sun and Marvelous Moon event (for kindergarten-grade 2), 1 p.m. July 18

• Apollo 11 presentation (for adults), 7 p.m. July 24

• Tinkerlab constellation art (for grades 3-5), 2 p.m. July 30

Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St.

• Dogs in Space presentation by Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre (for youth), 6:30 p.m. July 30

Hellertown Area Library, 409 Constitution Ave.

• Teen Zodiac Morning event (for grades 6 and up), 10 a.m. July 19

• Discussion on the sun and special sun viewing (for teens and adults), 6:30 p.m. July 31

• Solar system Styrofoam craft (for ages 7 and up), 10 a.m. Aug. 21

Allentown Public Library, 1210 Hamilton St.

• Astronaut storytime (for all ages), 6:30 p.m. July 23

• Tween Space Explorers event (for ages 9-12), 6:30 p.m. July 24

• Summer Science Series event (for kindergarten-grade 3), 6:30 p.m. July 25

Thank you to the dedicated staff of and volunteers at our libraries for holding many fun and educational events.

Stacey Koch

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press