....AND WHOPPER FOR MR. GORSKY
I was on the receiving end the other day of an amusing email sharing a hilariously creative account, supposedly exposing the story behind a mysterious name uttered by astronaut Neil Armstrong following his historic walk on the moon. The story has made the rounds on line for a number of years, but I share it on Wrights Lane today just in case it has eluded your inbox. Look for a not-too-surprising reveal at the end.
ON JULY 20, 1969, AS COMMANDER OF THE APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE, NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.
HIS FIRST WORDS AFTER STEPPING ON THE MOON, "THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND," WERE TELEVISED TO EARTH AND HEARD BY MILLIONS. BUT, JUST BEFORE HE RE-ENTERED THE LANDER, ARMSTRONG MADE THE ENIGMATIC REMARK "GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY."
MANY PEOPLE AT NASA THOUGHT IT WAS A CASUAL REMARK CONCERNING SOME RIVAL SOVIET COSMONAUT. HOWEVER, UPON CHECKING, THERE WAS NO "GORSKY" IN EITHER THE RUSSIAN OR AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAMS.
OVER THE YEARS, ARMSTRONG WAS QUESTIONED FREQUENTLY AS TO WHAT THE 'GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY' STATEMENT MEANT, BUT HE ALWAYS JUST SMILED.
ON JULY 5, 1995, IN TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOLLOWING A SPEECH, A REPORTER BROUGHT UP THE 26-YEAR-OLD QUESTION ABOUT MR.GORSKY AND THIS TIME HE FINALLY RESPONDED BECAUSE HIS MR. GORSKY HAD JUST DIED, SO NEIL ARMSTRONG FELT HE COULD NOW ANSWER THE QUESTION.
HERE IS THE ANSWER TO "WHO WAS MR. GORSKY?":
IN 1938, WHEN HE WAS A KID IN A SMALL MID-WESTERN TOWN YOUNG NEIL WAS PLAYING BASEBALL WITH A FRIEND IN THE BACKYARD. HIS FRIEND HIT THE BALL, WHICH LANDED IN HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD NEAR THE BEDROOM WINDOW OF A MR. AND MRS. GORSKY.
AS HE LEANED DOWN TO PICK UP THE BALL, AN AMUSED ARMSTRONG HEARD MRS. GORSKY SHOUTING AT MR. GORSKY, "SEX! YOU WANT SEX?! YOU'LL GET SEX WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR WALKS ON THE MOON!"
LOL!!!
In truth, this priceless whopper of a tall tale accompanied by a claim of authenticity, never really happened as can be easily verified by checking the official lunar landing transcript on NASA's Apollo 11 site (audio and video clips are included).
Sometimes attributed to stand-up comedian Buddy Hackett, "Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky" clearly was created as a joke, evolving into an urban legend over time through sheer repetition as a true story. The sex referred to is often "oral". In spite of the ease with which this revisionist history of the Apollo moon landing and moonwalk is debunked, it will doubtless be with us for decades to come.
A related urban legend popular among Muslims claims that Armstrong heard a voice say "Allahu akbar" ("God is great") the moment he stepped on the moon and was inspired to convert to Islam. This, as well, never happened.
Following Neil Armstrong's death, major media outlets including NBC News and CBS News listed the Mr. Gorsky tale as a myth or urban legend, ascribing it to comedian Hackett from an appearance on "The Tonight Show." NBC News also says that the U.S. State Department enabled Armstrong to try to correct the story with journalists. However, as with many stories, it lives on via the Internet.
ON JULY 20, 1969, AS COMMANDER OF THE APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE, NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.
HIS FIRST WORDS AFTER STEPPING ON THE MOON, "THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND," WERE TELEVISED TO EARTH AND HEARD BY MILLIONS. BUT, JUST BEFORE HE RE-ENTERED THE LANDER, ARMSTRONG MADE THE ENIGMATIC REMARK "GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY."
MANY PEOPLE AT NASA THOUGHT IT WAS A CASUAL REMARK CONCERNING SOME RIVAL SOVIET COSMONAUT. HOWEVER, UPON CHECKING, THERE WAS NO "GORSKY" IN EITHER THE RUSSIAN OR AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAMS.
OVER THE YEARS, ARMSTRONG WAS QUESTIONED FREQUENTLY AS TO WHAT THE 'GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY' STATEMENT MEANT, BUT HE ALWAYS JUST SMILED.
ON JULY 5, 1995, IN TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOLLOWING A SPEECH, A REPORTER BROUGHT UP THE 26-YEAR-OLD QUESTION ABOUT MR.GORSKY AND THIS TIME HE FINALLY RESPONDED BECAUSE HIS MR. GORSKY HAD JUST DIED, SO NEIL ARMSTRONG FELT HE COULD NOW ANSWER THE QUESTION.
HERE IS THE ANSWER TO "WHO WAS MR. GORSKY?":
IN 1938, WHEN HE WAS A KID IN A SMALL MID-WESTERN TOWN YOUNG NEIL WAS PLAYING BASEBALL WITH A FRIEND IN THE BACKYARD. HIS FRIEND HIT THE BALL, WHICH LANDED IN HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD NEAR THE BEDROOM WINDOW OF A MR. AND MRS. GORSKY.
AS HE LEANED DOWN TO PICK UP THE BALL, AN AMUSED ARMSTRONG HEARD MRS. GORSKY SHOUTING AT MR. GORSKY, "SEX! YOU WANT SEX?! YOU'LL GET SEX WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR WALKS ON THE MOON!"
LOL!!!
In truth, this priceless whopper of a tall tale accompanied by a claim of authenticity, never really happened as can be easily verified by checking the official lunar landing transcript on NASA's Apollo 11 site (audio and video clips are included).
Sometimes attributed to stand-up comedian Buddy Hackett, "Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky" clearly was created as a joke, evolving into an urban legend over time through sheer repetition as a true story. The sex referred to is often "oral". In spite of the ease with which this revisionist history of the Apollo moon landing and moonwalk is debunked, it will doubtless be with us for decades to come.
A related urban legend popular among Muslims claims that Armstrong heard a voice say "Allahu akbar" ("God is great") the moment he stepped on the moon and was inspired to convert to Islam. This, as well, never happened.
Following Neil Armstrong's death, major media outlets including NBC News and CBS News listed the Mr. Gorsky tale as a myth or urban legend, ascribing it to comedian Hackett from an appearance on "The Tonight Show." NBC News also says that the U.S. State Department enabled Armstrong to try to correct the story with journalists. However, as with many stories, it lives on via the Internet.
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