Neil Armstrong

About Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong (1930–2012) secured his place as a pivotal figure in 20th-century history as an American astronaut and the first human to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. This monumental achievement, which represented a peak in human exploration and the culmination of the Space Race, contributes to his high ranking by the Pantheon project at #333 in overall historical importance.

Despite this defining contribution, Armstrong's modern digital footprint suggests a relative decline in public interest. His Wikipedia page garnered 1.9 million annualized views in 2025. This level of attention places him in an 'overattention' bracket, indicated by an Attention Gap score of +5x relative to his historical rank. Interestingly, this means contemporary internet traffic focuses on him more than his historical significance alone might predict, though a comparison with modern political figures like Richard Nixon (#748 importance) who accrue over 4 million views reveals a significant difference in sheer volume.

The data also points toward a cooling of recent interest: his 2025 annualized views show a year-over-year decline of -23.9%, and his short-term Momentum between Q1 and Q3 fell by -10%, suggesting that while he remains important, the intensity of recent online curiosity is waning.