The Apollo 11 mission, which took place in 1969, achieved the monumental goal of landing humans on the Moon for the first time. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module. Armstrong famously proclaimed, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind," as he became the first person to set foot on the Moon. The mission successfully collected lunar samples, conducted experiments, and safely returned to Earth on July 24, marking a pivotal moment in space exploration and the Cold War space race.