What is Moon Day? History, significance and celebration ideas

Every year, Moon Day is celebrated on July 20. This day commemorates the day humans first walked on the moon in the year 1969. The first step of mankind on the moon was reported by NASA to be the single greatest technological achievement of all time.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 carried the first humans to the moon. This day is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm as on this people started to believe that one-day humans could travel the whole cosmos. Here is all you should know about the National Moon Day. 

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Moon Day Significance  

This day celebrates one of the greatest achievements of NASA. On July 20, American astronaut Neil Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin stepped on the moon and collected about 47.5 pounds of lunar material which they brought back for studies to earth. This day doesn’t just celebrate the landmark mission but also gave hope to scientists that humans can go into space now. “One small step for man” speech by Neil Armstrong inspired imaginations and sparked innovation and today it has become the basis of people working on space travel. 

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​​​​​​Moon Day History 

In the year 1971, then USA President Richard Nixon declared July 20 as Mood day to honour the anniversary of man’s first moon landing. But this did not catch on. Things changed when Richard Christmas stepped in and launched a Chrismas Card writing campaign. He wrote letters to the governors and members of Congress in all 50 states and urged them to create Moon Day. He achieved success and by 1975, 12 states had sponsored bills observing Moon Day. In 2019, President Donald Trump proclaimed July 20 as the 50^th Anniversary of  Apollo 11 Lunar landing but till date, it has not been declared officially by anyone. 

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Moon Day celebration

There are several different ways in which people can celebrate the lunar day. Some of them are setting up a telescope and exploring the moon's surface. People can also indulge in talking about the moon and other space-related exploration with friends and colleagues. People also watch movies are TV shows related to the moon and moon exploration.

Some films you can watch are In the Shadow of the Moon, First to the Moon: The Journey of Apollo 8, One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon, A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts, and Hidden Figures. You can also share your discoveries and stories using #MoonDay on social media.

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