Even before the Apollo 11 mission completed the first manned moon landing, humans were fascinated with the moon. From our earliest days as humans to today, the moon continually inspires us. It not only emboldened the United States, and other countries, to reach for the stars, but it influences our pop culture as well. Films like Apollo 13, Hidden Figures, and First Man tell great tales of the incredible men and women who helped take mankind to the moon.
However, the moon landings also inspire debate. A growing number of Americans believe that the Apollo 11 moon landing (the first moon landing), and others, were faked. Strangely, a few of the conspiracy theorists’ arguments are rather persuasive…
So discover everything you never knew about the Apollo missions, moon landings, and the conspiracies that surround them!
1. Most Americans Did Not Want To Go To The Moon
While JFK’s “”We choose to go to the Moon…” speech is considered one of his most iconic and important, many did not find it particularly persuasive. After the speech, Gallup did a poll and found that 58% of Americans opposed a mission to the moon. To many of today’s citizens, it must seem crazy that half the country did not want to try and achieve this historic feat. But it’s true!
Anti-moon landing protests reached a peak with the Gil Scott-Heron’s release of “Whitey On The Moon.” The song, considered to be one of the first rap songs ever recorded, asks why the government should spend money on getting to the moon instead of its own citizens. Despite a lack of public support, the Apollo missions soldiered on, and soon, they would be heading to the stars.