Final answer:
Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon, and Buzz Aldrin was the second, both as part of the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Their achievement marked a significant milestone in the space race, fulfilling President Kennedy’s goal and symbolizing American leadership in space exploration.
Step-by-step explanation:
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were American astronauts who are most famous for their roles in the Apollo 11 mission, which culminated in the first manned Moon landing on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong was the mission commander and became the first person to set foot on the Moon, famously describing the moment as "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module pilot, followed Armstrong, becoming the second man to walk on the lunar surface. Their footsteps and Aldrin's presence are famously preserved in lunar soil, as captured in a photograph by Armstrong.
These historic events occurred against a backdrop of intense competition with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, known as the space race. President Kennedy had set the ambitious goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s, a goal that was realized with Apollo 11. The mission not only advanced scientific understanding but also served as a symbol of national pride and human achievement, despite concurrent societal and political tensions, such as the Vietnam War. Moreover, the legacy of the Apollo missions echoes in later space exploration endeavors, such as the Viking missions to Mars, which were also significant for their time.