Digital preservation is, and will always be, at the heart of Exact Editions’ mission. Over the past 15 years, thousands of issues of hundreds of publications –   the oldest of which dates all the way back to the 1840s  – have been made readily available for subscribers to browse and enjoy at the touch of a button. 

These extensive archives are a hugely powerful tool in the examination and understanding of historical and cultural events that changed or shook the world. Magazines are a medium that offers regular commentary and documentation of the world around them, creating a unique lens through which to view history — issue by issue.

In each entry of this brand new blog series, we’ll gaze back on a world event from the perspectives scattered through different magazine’s archives. 

The 1969 Moon Landing

On July 20th 1969, with more than half a billion people watching live, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the Moon for the first time. 

2019 marked the 50th anniversary of this historic moment for mankind. Here are some examples of coverage past and present featured in the Exact Editions archives. 

The Tablet :  26 July 1969

The Tablet really gives a sense of the almost ‘spiritual’ experience of watching Man step foot on to the Moon’s surface for the first time.

‘There was a spiritual quality in all who witnessed it that reacted spontaneously to something of the highest order in these their fellow men. How petty seemed the ordinary news of the world as it followed the televised reports of their exploit!’

Read the full article here. 

Geographical : September 1969

Geographical honed in on the scientific function of Apollo 11’s mission, namely:

‘…to determine the means of locomotion on the moon and to describe the feeling of living under gravity one-sixth of that experienced on earth.’

Read the full article here.

BBC Sky At Night: August 2019

Jumping ahead to the commemorative 50th anniversary articles published this summer, BBC Sky At Night delve into the specific features of the lunar module that enabled Apollo 11 to land, after a long journey of trial and error.

‘The Apollo Guidance Computer that navigated the CSM (Command and Service Module) and LM (Lunar Module) to the Moon and back is a well-known marvel of 1960s technology.’

Read the full article here.

BBC History Magazine :  August 2019

In an alternative coverage of the 50th anniversary, BBC History Magazine focussed on the movements grabbing global attention on the ground during the Moon Landing, such as equal pay for women, the rise of Welsh nationalism and identity politics. 

Read the full article here.

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