Full Name = Neil Alden Armstrong; Profession = American astronaut and aeronautical engineer, first person to walk on the Moon as commander of Apollo 11, also naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor whose technical skill and steady temperament were central to the success of NASA’s early crewed space program; Nationality = American; Born = August 5, 1930; Birthplace = Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States, born on his maternal grandparents’ farm near Wapakoneta in rural Washington Township, Auglaize County, Ohio; Generation = Silent Generation (U.S. cohort born roughly between 1928 and 1945, into which his 1930 birth squarely falls); Chinese Zodiac = Metal Horse (born in the 1930 Year of the Horse according to the traditional Chinese zodiac, specifically classified as a Metal Horse type noted for decisiveness, leadership, and calm efficiency); Zodiac Sign = Leo (Western Sun-sign for August 5, with his natal Sun in Leo confirmed by astrological sources); Age in 2026 = 96 (he would have been 96 years old in 2026, counting from his 1930 birth year); Marital Status=Married twice: first to Janet Elizabeth Shearon, whom he met at Purdue University and married on January 28, 1956, a marriage that produced three children and lasted 38 years before their separation in 1990 and divorce finalized in 1994; later married his second wife Carol Held Knight, a widowed businesswoman, on June 12, 1994, in Ohio, and remained married to her until his death in 2012; Children= Three children with Janet Shearon: sons Eric "Rick" Armstrong and Mark Stephen Armstrong and daughter Karen Anne Armstrong, a much-loved child who tragically died in January 1962 from an inoperable brain tumor (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma), a loss that deeply affected the family. Description=Neil Alden Armstrong was a quiet, modest Midwestern engineer whose lifelong passion for flight led him from Ohio skies to the surface of the Moon, beginning as a naval aviator flying combat missions in the Korean War before serving as a research test pilot and then joining NASA’s astronaut corps, where his calm problem-solving helped save the Gemini 8 mission and ultimately placed him in command of Apollo 11; on July 20, 1969, he piloted the lunar module Eagle made a manual landing in the Sea of Tranquility and became the first human to set foot on another world, delivering the iconic "one small step" phrase and instantly becoming a global symbol of human ingenuity and exploration, yet he consistently shunned celebrity culture, preferring a low‑profile life devoted to teaching aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati, advising on commissions such as the Rogers Commission after the Challenger disaster, consulting for aviation and space organizations, and living as a reserved family man whose integrity, technical excellence, and understated courage inspired generations of scientists, engineers, pilots, and dreamers across the globe. Cause of Death: Died on August 25, 2012, at age 82, from complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures following coronary artery bypass surgery, including internal bleeding after removal of temporary pacemaker wires and subsequent post-operative issues, with his family and medical reports describing the cause as "complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures" following heart surgery.