# Neil Armstrong's first words - updated for 2005 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283 "2005-07-20T13:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/1 "2005-07-20T13:52:46Z")
After 26 years of commercialization, globalization, de-regulation; generation x, y and z; grunge, rap, hip-hop; partisan politics, religious fundamentalism; etc, etc… What would a 2005 Neil Armstrong say for his first lunar words? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/2 "2005-07-20T14:01:44Z")
“I’d like to give shout-out to my homies back at NASA…” ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/3 "2005-07-20T14:02:47Z")
K364 That’s _thirty-six years_ - time flies doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/4 "2005-07-20T14:03:05Z")
> [@K364](#): > > After 26 years of… **36 years** of the inability to do arithmetic without the aid of a calculator. ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/5 "2005-07-20T14:08:18Z")
It would probably be more PC. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/6 "2005-07-20T14:12:25Z")
Well in this day of politically correct expressions I suppose he could say: “That’s one small step for a person. One giant leap for personkind”. Then, no doubt, some people would feel that other living creatures are being slighted when people are given sole credit for an achievement that no doubt required all living things to accomplish. SO it might have to be transformed into: “That’s one small step for one species. One giant leap for all species of planet Earth.” Then again, some people might consider it geo-centric arogance to think that Earth has the exclusive rights to all life in the Universe and so it might have to be changed … ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/7 "2005-07-20T14:13:54Z")
“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind, and one comfortable insole. Thanks, Dr. Scholls!” ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/8 "2005-07-20T14:16:13Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > Well in this day of politically correct expressions I suppose he could say: > “That’s one small step for a person. One giant leap for personkind”. > > Then, no doubt, some people would feel that other living creatures are being slighted when people are given sole credit for an achievement that no doubt required all living things to accomplish. SO it might have to be transformed into: > “That’s one small step for one species. One giant leap for all species of planet Earth.” > > Then again, some people might consider it geo-centric arogance to think that Earth has the exclusive rights to all life in the Universe and so it might have to be changed … But wouldn’t ‘step’ and ‘leap’ be offensive to species that are unable to do such things, like snails and snakes? How about ‘forward movement?’ ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/9 "2005-07-20T14:17:08Z")
K364 I don’t blame you for making that error. I’ve miscalculated it a few times myself. Besides the fact that our brains have become a bit too used to calculators and computers, it is mind-boggling to think that people landed on the Moon - _thirty-six years ago_ !!! :eek: Yikes !!! Some of us are used to thinking of that event as relatively recent. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/10 "2005-07-20T14:25:46Z")
**cabdde** Thanks for correcting my narrow-minded overweening arrogance that I limited the credit to creatures which have only one particular type of locomotion. **HalBriston** Of course !!! How can we forget that in all this time, commercilization would also have “set foot” on the Moon. “Hello and welcome to the Prudential Lunar Landing.” ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/11 "2005-07-20T14:33:51Z")
Pimp my Lunar Lander. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/12 "2005-07-20T14:43:42Z")
**"Can you hear me now?"** ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/13 "2005-07-20T14:45:39Z")
I think that this time he really would say, “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky”. [link](http://www.snopes.com/quotes/mrgorsky.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/14 "2005-07-20T14:49:04Z")
“Holy shit the moon!” With apologies to Dana Gould ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/15 "2005-07-20T14:51:03Z")
> [@cabdude](#): > > But wouldn’t ‘step’ and ‘leap’ be offensive to species that are unable to do such things, like snails and snakes? How about ‘forward movement?’ Now look here, you’re missing the plants! How could you look down on them like that, just cause they can’t move from where they were born shouldn’t mean you can dis them like that. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/16 "2005-07-20T14:57:00Z")
I like the suggestion made to him at an astronaut’s party in the HBO series “From The Earth To The Moon”. Another astronaut, I forget who, tells him “If you had any balls, you’d say 'My God, what IS that thing?”, scream, and cut your mike." ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/17 "2005-07-20T15:00:18Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > Now look here, you’re missing the plants! How could you look down on them like that, just cause they can’t move from where they were born shouldn’t mean you can dis them like that. You’re right - I’m being completely animocentric. Apologies to our chorophyllic friends. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/18 "2005-07-20T15:03:30Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind, and one comfortable insole. Thanks, Dr. Scholls!” This is probably the closest to what would be said. You can’t overlook any potential sponsors and endorsment deals. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/19 "2005-07-20T15:07:24Z")
A serious answer: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for humanity.” Works just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283/20 "2005-07-20T15:11:04Z")
Did Coke or Pepsi or anybody inquire back in '69 if they could pay for an on-the-moon endorsement? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-armstrongs-first-words-updated-for-2005/313283.md?page=2)