For the fi rst man to set foot on the moon, the appeal of fl ying was something that came to him soon after he was born in 1930. His father took him to the Cleveland Air Races as a 2-year-old
and his fi rst fl ight came at the age of 6, when his father took him for a ride in a "Tin Goose" Ford Trimotor. Armstrong was just 15 when he earned his fl ight certifi cate, before he had a driver's license. As a US Navy pilot, Armstrong saw action in Korea, where he was hit by enemy fi re and had to bail out over friendly territory. Later, as a test pilot with the NACA, Armstrong showed his ability to keep his nerve during an experimental run in which three of the four engines on his aircraft failed. Armstrong's story is essentially one of keeping your nerve,
dealing with problems with grit and determination, and keeping on course. In 1958, due to his character and his track record he was chosen to join the astronaut programme with the US Air Force, in which more training and gruelling fl ying were undergone. Luck
was also on his side. Armstrong's astronaut application arrived about a week past the deadline, but a friend saw its late arrival and slipped it into the pile before anyone noticed. Armstrong's excellence as a pilot stood him in good stead on
the famous moon landing of 1969 when he noticed the fl ight computer was taking them to a dangerous landing area. He took manual control and fl ew the Eagle lander to safety. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong was the fi rst human being to set foot on the moon. The Best You have included him here because as a mark of respect for his death on August 25th, 2012. He was a man who changed what human beings think they are capable of.
Strength and Belief - Aung San Suu Kyi
Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced decades of humiliation and a long imprisonment. Her campaign of non-violent resistance to one of the world's most brutal dictatorships has inspired people worldwide. Her courage has come from her belief that no junta is stronger than a people's desire for freedom. Aung San Suu Kyi originally returned to Burma from the
family life she had built in Oxford to nurse her dying mother. Once there, as the daughter of the leader of Burma's struggle for independence, she was swept up in the pro-democracy movement. Being talented, intelligent and gently charismatic, she soon found herself general secretary of the National League for Democracy. Her commitment to the pro-democracy movement led to more than 15 years in detention, as well as physical attacks on her and her supporters. Perhaps the saddest sacrifi ce of all was the enforced separation
from her family. Her husband, dying of cancer in the UK made a desperate appeal to the Burmese junta be allowed to see her. Their reply was to say that Aung San Suu Kyi would have to leave Burma to see him, and would not be allowed to return. He died in 1999, having not seen her since 1995. Last year she was fi nally released from house arrest. Her
thoughts soon turned to attempts to free the remaining 2,100 political prisoners in Burma. She is working to free "the faces the regime wants you to forget". Throughout all this, Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, has remained resolute for non-violence and has fought for the freedom of her people with extreme dignity. Aung San Suu Kyi's amazing life offers a snapshot of heroism.