First Man True Story
The Wild, Tragic, and True Events Behind Damien Chazelle's First Man
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Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, OH. He attended college at Purdue University, taking a leave to serve in the US Navy during the Korean War. In 1955, his aircraft career began when he joined the National Advisory Committee For Aeronautics, where he worked as an engineer, test pilot, and astronaut. This organisation would eventually become NASA. His work there included piloting high-speed aircraft, including the X-15.
The year after joining NASA, he married Janet Shearon, with whom he had three children. Personal tragedy occurred simultaneously with Armstrong's professional successes. Around the time he became an astronaut assigned to command the Gemini 8 mission in 1962, his 2-year-old daughter, Karen, passed away from brain cancer.