Forty-five years ago, this week, 123 million of us watched Neil and Buzz step onto the moon. In 1969, we numbered about 200 million, so more than half of America was in the audience that day. Neil Armstrong instantly became a household name, an icon, a hero. And then — and this, I bet, you didn't know — just as quickly, he faded away.
"Whatever Happened to Neil Whosis?" asked the Chicago Tribunein 1974.
This is a missing chapter in the space exploration story. We like to think that after Apollo 11, the first duo on the moon became legendary.