The 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 (July 2019) was widely commemorated. These celebrated the July 20, 1969 landing which entailed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin being the first humans ever on the Moon. Major news outlets like CBS News and BBC News featured special coverage, including archival footage and tributes to the crew. 

Fifty years later the Apollo mission continued to be seen as of huge historical importance. The media once again covering the momentous events of July 1969 – often with new or unreleased media. It was an important anniversary because just twelve men had landed on the moon (that’s six Apollo missions altogether – Apollo 11 to Apollo 17). The one missing from the list is Apollo 13. An explosion disabled the craft and its crew, under exceedingly difficult conditions, managed to return to Earth.

There’s no doubt newspapers worldwide during 2019 had reflected upon the year 1969 as a defining moment of human achievement, a triumph of technology and a time for nostalgia. Media coverage during the 50th anniversary focused on several themes. This included a number of reissues of newspaper front pages from July 21, 1969 – with headlines like “Man Walks On The Moon” and “This Is It—Man On The Moon”.

Special Apollo 50th Anniversary logo used by NASA.

1969 was portrayed as a peak moment of human technological endeavour and scientific optimism. 2019 also saw the beginnings of a considerable shift towards commercial space travel. Coverage frequently contrasted the 1969 state-funded effort with the modern 21st century space industry, highlighting the rise of private companies like SpaceX or Blue Origin. The media also discussed the new space race, now being largely driven by tech billionaires rather than NASA.

Key Highlights of the 50th Anniversary:

1. Commemorative Events: NASA hosted events, including live TV broadcasts and activities at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, featuring model rocket launches and celebrations of the historic Apollo 11 mission.
2. Restored Mission Control: The Apollo Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center was meticulously restored to its 1969 state, allowing visitors to experience the atmosphere of the historic landing.
3. Media and Digital Projects: Documentaries, such as 8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK by PBS, shared rare, intimate audio recordings of the crew’s journey. Channel Four in the UK provided a 24/7 digital, minute-by-minute live stream of the mission, using archival audio, video, and stills.
4. Digital and Social Media: Google and NASA highlighted the mission with virtual exhibits in the Arts & Culture platform. Social media campaigns, including the use of Apollo50th, allowed the world to engage with the celebration, including a custom Twitter emoji.

Google’s doodle for the Apollo 50th Anniversary. Google Blog.

The Apollo newspapers 2019

Here’s a selection of newspapers and magazines that were published in 2019 on the 50th Anniversary. A couple are indeed reprints from 1969.

An interesting one! The Daily telegraph in its 20th July 2019 edition depicts an image showing Armstrong’s face clearly for the first time ever on the Apollo 11 mission. Source: Twitter.

The picture was first discovered in 2009 however that below is the best rendering yet so far.

The better picture! Source: Daily Telegraph.

The Times has a special supplement to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. Source: Twitter.

This particular image was certainly popular and a number of media used it for their main images. That on Life magazine was perhaps the most iconic of the lot and the magazine indeed reproduced the 1969 issue for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Here a link to Life’s entire special issue for August 1969.

The Independent has a fair and substantial front page featuring the Apollo 50th anniversary. It also asks the question, are we ready for the next stage in the attempt to explore space? Source: Twitter.

The Scotsman does an excellent front page with see through banner. Source: Twitter.

The Inverness, Highlands & Islands Press Journal has this nice headline with an astronaut for its 50th anniversary celebration of the moon landing. Source: Twitter.

BBC Science Focus Volume 15 Man on the Moon – 50th Anniversary special. A full copy is available at Internet Archive.

On the 50th Anniversary, Newsweek asked where the space programme was going. Internet Archive.

The US newspapers were rather more elaborate in their coverage of the 50th Apollo anniversary as these early editions from across the pond show…

The Walton Tribune. A nice touch with the US flag prominent. This is a paper based in Monroe, Georgia. Source: Twitter.

From Western Nevada County, California, is the Union paper. Source: Twitter.

First on the Moon the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Experience. Ebook available at Internet Archive.

This post has been published during the Artemis 2 mission (having been rediscovered while that mission was underway). It had been intended as one of three posts intended for Apollo 11’s anniversary in 2019! These were The Moon 1969 and published. The second was 50 years since we went to the Moon – featuring the newspapers published during the first moon landing in 1969. The third was this one. Fortunately the two drafts were not lost. This post needed little editing thus it has been finally published. New introductory paragraphs were written for 2026 and additional material included. The other one needs more work so it may be published at some point.

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Originally written 2019 but never published. Updated for 2026.