First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
Authorized biography of the first man on the Moon.
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Published in 2005 by Simon & Schuster, James R. Hansen's authorized biography of the first human to walk on the Moon (on July 20, 1969) is titled First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.[1]
Key facts and history
Author James R. Hansen served as a professor of history and director of the Honors College at Auburn University.[2] Armstrong explained his decision to finally consent to a full biography by saying simply: "It was time"[3] Hansen initially contacted Armstrong by letter in October 1999 to seek authorization for the biography.[2] According to the book, Armstrong's youth was happy and typical, and he obtained his pilot's license prior to getting a driver's license.[1]
NASA's leadership was drawn to Armstrong's blend of composure, technical ability, and high intelligence.[1] Following the mission, Armstrong avoided fame by taking a position as an engineering lecturer at the University of Cincinnati.[1]
What the cited sources add
A review on Hansen's Auburn University page quotes Sir Patrick Moore calling the book "immaculately researched and packed with detail" and "an important book" for every scientific library.[4] The same page includes a review from Douglas Brinkley praising the book for "groundbreaking research, fresh anecdotes and fair-minded analysis"[4] A 2015 Deadline Hollywood article notes that Armstrong was "not a demonstratively emotional individual" and "maintained an even strain" throughout his life.[5] The Deadline piece also reports that Armstrong was "notoriously averse to doing any exercise beyond what was required".[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "James R. Hansen", Auburn University - Auburn.edu; "A giant leap that left few traces", Times Higher Education (THE), January 20, 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "James R. Hansen", Auburn University - Auburn.edu (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A giant leap that left few traces", Times Higher Education (THE), January 20, 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "James R. Hansen", Auburn University - Auburn.edu. facts only, no text reused. auburn.edu
- Fleming, "Ryan Gosling Orbiting Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong Movie at Universal?", Deadline Hollywood, November 24, 2015. facts only, no text reused. deadline.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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