CLEVELAND — It was a moment etched forever in history, but how did Cleveland react to the moon landing when it happened? In honor of Apollo 11's 50th anniversary, we dug through the archives and found video from 1969 that shows how people felt about the Apollo 11 mission.
Before liftoff, Carl Stokes, then Mayor of the City of Cleveland, encouraged residents to display the American flag at their homes.
“I know of no better way to demonstrate the concern and pride which Clevelanders feel for this historic mission advancing the frontiers of both technology and adventure,” Stokes said.
►50 YEARS LATER | Expanded coverage of Apollo 11
After the moon landing, a reporter visited a group of senior citizens to get their opinions of the event. Unfortunately, there were no records of where this happened or the names of the people who were interviewed.
“When I saw the men walking on the moon, I felt most thankful that they were all right and I felt very proud of the United States and very proud of our state of Ohio since Neil Armstrong is from Wapakoneta," one woman said.
“I think it's an expensive proposition so that it's going to take an awful lot of money," another woman said. "That is some of it is needed for the people that are here."
“The airplane was quite a thrill," one man told us. "The automobile, we used to hang on the old fence and watch the first automobile go by. When I screwed the first tungsten bulb in and lit up the house when we had the old carbon light yet, you know those were all thrills in my lifetime. But this was colossal."