Forty years ago

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Anthony Buckland - 17 Jul 2009 01:53 GMT

On July 20, 1969, my wife and I were in Florence, Italy, doing the
Europe-on-$5-a-day tour after I graduated from UBC. In our hotel, the
management let the tourists watch Italian TV coverage, consisting mainly of
some celebrities we didn't know, trying to look decorative, but managing to
look clueless, as an announcer got progressively more excited. I didn't know
more than a dozen words of Italian, but the occasional background remark
from Houston let me understand what was going on.

After the touchdown, which in Florence occurred in mid-evening, we went to
our window and looked down on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, where dozens
of young Americans began to gather in celebration. They sang the Stars and
Stripes, other patriotic songs, folk songs and what seemed like every other
song they could remember the words to.

Eventually, they wound down and left the Piazza to the night. Then the Moon
came into view above the buildings right across from us. I took a guess at a
time exposure, and took what I fancied might be one of the first photographs
to show two worlds inhabited by humans.

And the first Moon walk? By then, I was fast asleep. In Florence, it was
deep into the small hours of the morning.

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Robert Cohen - 17 Jul 2009 02:49 GMT

On Jul 16, 8:53 pm, "Anthony Buckland"
<anthonybucklandnos...@telus.net> wrote:

> On July 20, 1969, my wife and I were in Florence, Italy, doing the
> Europe-on-$5-a-day tour after I graduated from UBC. In our hotel, the
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> And the first Moon walk? By then, I was fast asleep. In Florence, it was
> deep into the small hours of the morning.

Observation: When in foreign place, one tends to truly appreciate what
one takes for granted at home, especially from my experience of Naples

The informal celebrating together at a Italian plaza by prideful,
happy
Americans AND INCLUDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NOT POPULAR VIETNAM
WAR as I recall the era, was obviously extremely positive,
moving & memorable to you

My narrowish domestic experience was there was minimal celebration in
the U.S. of my scope

So, does anybody recall some Moon landing celebrating that day/weekend
in the States?

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G=EMC^2 Glazier - 17 Jul 2009 15:41 GMT

R Cohen Every American can remember where he was on that day. Much like
the day of the Kennedy assassination. So proud,and amazed. It was
humankinds greatest accomplishment,and 40 years later still is. Now 40
years later as an American I hang my head in shame. NASA shuttle's are
run by the Mafia,and have done nothing but steal tax payers money.
Reality it is not even safe to go round and round 200 miles up,let alone
have even a way to copy what the great saturn V did 40 long years ago.
Todays NASA has no shame nor any of the right stuff,and the public is
aware of this. Man in space is now a thing of the past. NASA will say it
did not have the money,and times are bad. Reality is Mafia shuttle NASA
created bad times. TreBert

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radii - 18 Jul 2009 04:59 GMT

On Jul 16, 8:53 pm, "Anthony Buckland"
<anthonybucklandnos...@telus.net> wrote:

> On July 20, 1969, my wife and I were in Florence, Italy, doing the
> Europe-on-$5-a-day tour after I graduated from UBC. In our hotel, the
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> And the first Moon walk? By then, I was fast asleep. In Florence, it was
> deep into the small hours of the morning.

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ZerkonXXXX - 17 Jul 2009 10:52 GMT

> On July 20, 1969, my wife and I were in Florence, Italy, doing the
> Europe-on-$5-a-day tour after I graduated from UBC. In our hotel, the
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> And the first Moon walk? By then, I was fast asleep. In Florence, it was
> deep into the small hours of the morning.

Nice. But you are leaving out something. How good WAS the weed?

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John Stafford - 17 Jul 2009 13:29 GMT

> On July 20, 1969, my wife and I were in Florence, Italy, doing the
> Europe-on-$5-a-day tour

Aside: I was there 42 years ago. Was there still mud and water stains
half up the side of so many buildings when you were there? The flood was
a heartbreaking disaster.

> after I graduated from UBC. In our hotel, the
> management let the tourists watch Italian TV coverage, consisting mainly of
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> And the first Moon walk? By then, I was fast asleep. In Florence, it was
> deep into the small hours of the morning.

Very good. Thanks for that.

At the time of the landing, I had been in the States one year. I was at
a drive-in movie near O'Hare airport; watching the movie 2001. The moon
was hanging above the screen, aircraft were landing behind us, the radio
was on to listen to the moon landing, and a my girlfriend ... well, it
was sensory overload. I felt I was being tested by the culture. It was
only the beginning of a confusing several years.

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Anthony Buckland - 17 Jul 2009 17:04 GMT

>> On July 20, 1969, my wife and I were in Florence, Italy, doing the
>> Europe-on-$5-a-day tour
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> heartbreaking disaster.
> ...

There were still "tide" lines and in some cases markers to let
us know how high the water had been. But everything seemed
back in business.

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Space Forum / Astronomy / July 2009

Forty years ago