On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 p.m. ET, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off the “Eagle” onto the surface of the moon and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The United States’s Apollo 11 mission was the first manned spacecraft to land on the Moon.  An estimated 500 million people worldwide watched this event, “the landing drew the largest television audience for any live event up until that time”. (National Geographic)

40 years later we find ourselves honoring that day in one of the only ways we know how…via the internet.

Internet Honors Moon Landing

As a tribute to this momentus occasion 40 years ago…and as expected…the internet has paid its respects to the moon.

1. Google changes their logo: It looks as though Google waited until we actually landed on the Moon to update their logo, as they’ve updated their homepage with the following logo.

2. YouTube changed their logo: YouTube has changed their logo, which now includes “The Eagle” and a piece of the Moon.

3. Bing changed their background: Bing has changed their daily background image to feature a shot of the Moon.

4. Google Earth Adds Moon To Celebrate Apollo 11 Landing: Google on Monday released Moon in Google Earth, which allows users to explore lunar images and related lunar content.

5.  Video of First Moon Landing 1969: Located on YouTube and originally posted on February 2006, this classic only recently jumped to the top of the charts, gathering in over 2,585,748 views:

Success? In perspective…

I’d say it’s pretty sad that Michael Jackson’s death was able to shut down the internet, yet one of the most notable events in US history has merely caused a blip in cyberspace. I guess it really isn’t fair to judge…but I’d like to see what happens June 25th a year from now. Also, I’d like to note that Moon Landing Hoax videos are also getting a boost on YouTube. Equatable to staring at a blank wall for 6 minutes…you choose how to spend your day.

Thanks again for reading and HAPPY MOON LANDING DAY! Now to celebrate in the only way I know how – by mooning oncoming traffic from my window…

Posted under Online Marketing, Online Video, Viral Marketing