Gallery: We missed an entire day of moon news back in 1969!
Published 1:30 am Saturday, July 20, 2019
How did The Daily Herald cover the moon landing and walk in July 1969?
Well, let’s just says that it was what it was.
The newspaper in those days had no Sunday edition, so the landing of the Eagle lunar module on July 20, a Saturday, could not be covered in a timely way. The headline on that day’s paper, reflecting news from the previous day, Friday: “United States Moonship Loops Into Lunar Orbit.”
It wasn’t until Monday afternoon that The Herald reported moon news again, and not only had they landed and walked around, Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had already lifted off the surface and were headed to a rendezvous for the flight home.
For those who remember it, of course, it was all a television event anyway. Everyone was glued to a TV.
The only real-time visuals coming from the mission were in the form of fuzzy black-and-white video. The Herald and other print media relied heavily on still images shot off a TV, supplemented by illustrations to convey what was happening. The spectacular color pictures we all know well weren’t available until after the astronauts returned home and the film was developed.
