MANILA,Philippines - July 20, 1969 is a special date for the world and the universe. That was the day Neil Armstrong (above, left, who died at 82 last Aug. 25) landed on the moon, the first man ever to do so. His first words were: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
That same day, the Philippines scored its own first when Gloria Diaz (above, right) won Miss Universe in Miami, Florida. Asked by host Bob Barker how she would entertain a man from the moon, Gloria said (as she recalled to Funfare yesterday), “I would what I would any other man after all he has been away for so long…” And, according to Gloria Diaz diehard “Ed/Glenda” (from L.A.), she followed it with, “…he would probably need a change.”
World headlines that day referred to the US as having conquered the moon. A Philippine newspaper blared: The US may have conquered the moon but the Philippines conquered the universe!Both were given a hero’s welcome.