5 Apollo 11 Moon Landing – 1969
Estimated Number of Viewers: 500,000,000
On July 20, 1969, more than a half-billion people tuned in to watch US astronauts land on the moon. At the time, that landing had the largest television audience in history. Viewers around the globe watched Neil Armstrong declare, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Cameras mounted to the moon’s surface by the Apollo 11 team had broadcast the historic moment live. The astronauts left the moon with about 50 pounds of lunar rocks and soil. On the surface, they placed a US flag and a plaque stating, “We came in peace for all mankind.”