Buzz Aldrin was the only second person to ever walk on the Moon, but before he did so, he had to undergo years of training.
So, you can kinda excuse him for losing his temper when a conspiracy theorist who didn’t believe the 1969 Moon Landing actually happened accused him of being a ‘liar’ and a ‘coward’ back in 2002.
Last month marked 55 years since NASA sent Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins to the Moon aboard Apollo 11.
Buzz Aldrin waves to the crowd during the Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2019 in New York City. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
At 8.17pm on July 20, 1969, the duo successfully landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on Earth’s only natural satellite, and the two took pictures including footprint on the Moon and Aldrin saluting the US flag.
Armstrong was the first person to stand on the Moon, coining the phrase: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
But ever since it happened, there have been tons of people doubting the legitimacy of the mission – with many pointing to alleged ‘evidence’ as proof that the Moon Landing never occurred.
Similarly, there is also plenty of evidence proving the opposite, in fact, Professor Anu Ojha from National Space Centre Discovery Director in 2019 took it upon herself to break down every single point touted by conspiracy theorists as proof of it being ‘fake’.
However, it’s a theory that still persists and one of those ‘truthers’ was Bar Sibrel.
According to BBC News, he was approached Aldrin, who was also with his stepdaughter at the time, outside a hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and accused the American astronaut of lying about walking on the moon.
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Buzz Aldrin stands beside the American flag as Neil Armstrong snaps the picture. (Bettmann/Getty)
In the recording, Sibrel can be heard yelling at Aldrin saying that he’d told people that he ‘walked on the moon when you didn’t’, as per Joe.
He also repeatedly asked Aldrin to ‘swear on the Bible’ that he’d been to the Moon.
Responding to the hostility, the then 72-year-old raises his voice and asks him to ‘get away from me’.
Sibrel replies: “You’re a coward and a liar and a thief…”
At which point Aldrin punches Sibrel, who had walked up to his face, in the jaw.
Following the incident Sibrel attempted to press charges against Aldrin, but the case was thrown out once as the court found Sibrel to be the instigator.
Deputy district attorney Elizabeth Ratinoff said at the time: “Ultimately, Sibrel called Aldrin a thief, liar and coward. Video depicts Aldrin striking Sibrel once in the face with a fist. Sibrel immediately turns to the camera crew present and appears to twice state, ‘Did you get that?’
“Based on the totality of the circumstances it is unlikely a jury would find Aldrin guilty of a misdemeanor battery charge.”
Speaking about the ‘moon landing truthers’ to Fox News at a later stage, Aldrin said: “I don’t pay any attention to them, really. They’re out for themselves to make a name.”