Why did humans first walk on the Moon in 1969?

The first Moon landing happened during a period of intense competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. After President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 goal of landing a person on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth, NASA developed the Apollo program. Apollo 11, launched on 16 July 1969, landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on 20 July 1969, while Michael Collins orbited above. Armstrong became the first human to step onto the Moon a few hours later, on 21 July UTC.