Buzz Aldrin making headlines
Buzz Aldrin making headlines NASA/ World Crunch Montage

PARIS — The date was July 20, 1969, the clock read 10:56 p.m. on the East Coast of the United States, as much of the world tuned in by radio or television to follow NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong take that historic-making first step on the moon.

On the 50th anniversary of that historic landing, we look back at how the event was covered in the press. In a time before smartphones and the internet, people all over the world were united by the experience of watching or listening to Armstrong’s “giant leap” — or reading about it just afterwards in the press.

As those first steps were broadcasted live, newspapers began reporting one of the most momentous events in human history. By the following morning, a Monday, headlines in papers from Mexico, to Bulgaria, to South Africa proclaimed Apollo 11’s improbable accomplishment.

Below is a collection front pages (and a few magazine covers) from around the world announcing nothing less than the dawn of a new era.

THE UNITED STATES

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The New York Times

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The Miami News

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The Daily Tribune

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Chicago Tribune

MEXICO

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El Universal

BRAZIL

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O Povo

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Folha De S. Paulo

IRELAND

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The Irish Times

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The Irish Press

THE UNITED KINGDOM

The Daily Post

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Daily Express

FRANCE

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France Soir

Le Monde

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Le Soir

THE NETHERLANDS

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Algemeen Dagblad

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Trouw

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Het Parool

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de Buzz Krant

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Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant

SWEDEN

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Aftonbladet

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Dagens Nyheter

NORWAY

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Dagbladet

DENMARK

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Berlingske Tidende

GERMANY

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Bild

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Der Abend

ITALY

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Il Messaggero

AUSTRIA

Arbeiter-Zeitung

POLAND

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Nowości

YUGOSLAVIA

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Borba

BULGARIA

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Rabotnichesko Delo

TURKEY

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Cumhuriyet

SOVIET UNION (MOSCOW)

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Pravda

ISRAEL

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Haaretz

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The Jerusalem Post

SOUTH KOREA

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Kyunghyang Shinmun

JAPAN

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The Japan Times

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Yomiuri Shimbun​

THAILAND

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The Bangkok Post

SOUTH VIETNAM

The Saigon Post

AUSTRALIA

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The Sydney Morning Herald

SOUTH AFRICA

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The Cape Times

MAGAZINES

FRANCE

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Paris Match

THE UNITED STATES

Time Magazine

ITALY

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Epoca

BRAZIL

Veja

GERMANY

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Stern

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