Special thanks to our guest contributor Chris Moynihan at the Armstrong Air & Space Museum for writing this month's blog.

At the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, one of our favorite ways to engage students in history is by sharing stories about Neil Armstrong. Unless they live under a (moon) rock, students likely know that Armstrong was the first man on the moon. Young and old explorers of history enjoy learning about this famous astronaut and the moon landing, but what about Neil Armstrong as a person? The museum has answers about that, too.

Inside the Armstrong Air & Space Museum is a little-known collection item: a 1947 yearbook from Blume High School in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Open the yearbook, and you can discover that Armstrong played in the marching band.

Armstrong played a baritone horn called a euphonium for his high school marching band and would go on to play in college for Indiana’s Purdue University All-American Marching Band. His love of music continued as he wrote two musicals as a college student at Purdue, and he was the musical director of his fraternity. Later in his adult life, Armstrong’s passion for music continued. While in quarantine after the moon landing, he passed time strumming a ukulele!

Another of Neil’s more well-known passions was flying. During the Korean War, Armstrong flew 78 combat missions aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Essex (CV-9). On September 3, 1951, he sliced through a cable while flying his Grumman F9F-2 jet fighter on a bombing run. This cable was “presumably a North Korean-devised booby trap for low-flying attack aircraft.” [1] Though he intended to bail out of his jet over the water, strong winds along the South Korean coast carried him inland, where he ran the risk of crashing into a mine field. Thanks to his quick thinking, Armstrong safely landed in a rice paddy. This was just one of many close calls Armstrong faced in his career as a pilot and astronaut, but his quick thinking always assisted him in making the right decisions.

At the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, we want visitors to come away knowing Neil Armstrong as more than the first person on the moon. His love of music is relatable to many, including students in your classroom. Students too need to make good decisions in their lives. These are reminders of how the life and work of Neil Armstrong can show students the relevance of history and science in their lives today. Armstrong's work intersects with numerous science standards, including the engineering design process, energy transfer and more, while also providing an important window into the Space Race, the Cold War, and twentieth century history.

Ohio history is full of examples of extraordinary people whose lives connect not only to important local, state, national and global history, but also to science, math and more! Interdisciplinary units can utilize these Ohioans’ stories and provide engaging connection points in the classroom. Check out the Ohio History Connection’s list of famous Ohioans for inspiration.

[1] James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), 94-95.

Further Reading:

Hansen, James R. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005).

NASA. “Former Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong.” https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/former-astronauts/former-astronaut-neil-a-armstrong/.

NASA. “Neil A. Armstrong.” https://www.nasa.gov/people/neil-a-armstrong/. Sep. 24, 2025.

Purdue University News Archive. "Music and theater played roles in ‘First Man’ Neil Armstrong’s time at Purdue." Purdue University. Nov. 19, 2018. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/archive/releases/2018/Q4/music-and-theater-played-roles-in-first-man-neil-armstrongs-time-at-purdue.html.

Blog Image Citation:

Left: Wittwer, Donald. Admission ticket to reception for Neil Armstrong at Wapakoneta High School. Wapakoneta: April 13, 1966. Neil A. Armstrong Homecomings Collection AV 203. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/7094/rec/314 (accessed Oct. 15, 2025).

Center: Blume High School. Neil Armstrong Yearbook. Wapakoneta: 1947. Armstrong Air & Space Museum.

Right: United States National Aeronautics And Space Administration, photographer. Apollo 11 Spacecraft Commander Neil Armstrong front and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. Aldrin rear practice lunar surface mobility at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston Armstrong has a camera attached to the chest area of the space suit. This method of attaching the camera is under study. The astronauts are in pressurized space suits. Houston: April, 1969. Library of Congress. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019635073/.