Video: 'Apollo 11 Launch CBS News Coverage' (launch at 1:32:00)

(Wednesday, July 16, 1969, 9:32 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time/13:32:00 Coordinated Universal Time) — Apollo 11, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins, blasted off as scheduled from Cape Kennedy today in man’s first attempt to walk on another world — the Moon.

An estimated one million spectators watched the launch of Apollo 11 from the highways and beaches in the vicinity of the launch site.

Video: 'Apollo 11: "As it happened LIVE on ABC", Launch and TLI, July 16-19,1969, PART.1' (launch at 12:40)

Dignitaries included Vice President Spiro Agnew, former President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General William Westmoreland, four cabinet members, 19 state governors, 40 mayors, 60 ambassadors and 200 congressmen.

President Richard Nixon viewed the launch from his office in the White House with his NASA liaison officer, Apollo astronaut Frank Borman.

Video: 'NEW! Apollo 11 Launch As It Happened: NBC NEWS TV original full coverage, july 16, 1969' (launch at 11:58)

Around 3,500 media representatives were present. About two-thirds were from the United States; the rest came from 55 other countries.

Video: 'Yesteryear 1969 Part 4' (July 16, 1969, at 2:39)

The launch was televised live in 33 countries, with an estimated 25 million viewers in the United States alone. Millions more around the world listened to radio broadcasts.

Almost 12 minutes later, the ship entered Earth orbit and, after more than two and a half hours, began “translunar injection,” departing Earth orbit on toward the Moon at 16:22:13 UTC (12:22:13 EDT).