Neil Armstrong, a 'Liar'? Please

Neil Armstrong not only made history, he gave us one of the 20th century's most famous quotes—but did he lie about it for years after? At Space.com, Andrew Chaikin is ready to fire that "outrageous accusation" into the stratosphere: "Let’s get one thing straight right now: Neil Armstrong was not a liar," he writes. But a BBC documentary has inspired "screaming headlines" about his "one small step" quotation, saying he came up with it before the 1969 moon-shot and only pretended to invent it during the flight.

The doc's proof: Armstrong's brother Dean said Neil had told him the quote before the mission. Chaikin admits that the astronaut did say his famous remark "evolved during the conduct of the flight," but soon after he wrote in LIFE magazine that "I had thought about that a little before the flight, mainly because so many people had made such a big point of it." What's more, writes Chaikin, "He gave us a quote worthy of the moment, one that will live forever." Which is the point: "Neil Armstrong did right by history. And now we should do right by him." Click for Chaikin's full piece. (More Neil Armstrong stories.)