Mr Duncan starts with a Stone Age astronomer who observed the phases of the moon, and marked them by carving notches on an eagle's bone.

ECONOMIST: Late for the date

The place had all the glamour of the space age then, with its glassy offices and swooping pavilions, moon rovers and rocket ships.

NEWYORKER: The Martian Chroniclers

The Second Era, which saw Soviet cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts almost routinely venturing into space, was punctuated in 1969 when Neil Armstrong (who, in a sad irony, just passed at the age of 82) and Dr. Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon.

FORBES: Launching the Next Era in Space Travel and Exploration

Thousands of people joined the throng that had been following the moon since the early hours of the morning, people of all colors, whole families with children of every age, especially as the procession filed past the crowded black and Puerto Rican areas of Harlem.

NEWYORKER: The Daughters of the Moon