Famous misquotes: What Neil Armstrong, Sarah Palin didn’t say

He could travel to the Moon but he couldn’t get an accurate account of his most important statement. Neil Armstrong’s fate of being misquoted has been shared by many others, including the inventor of the term “information superhighway’’and a former Alaskan governor. Twain, Lincoln, and Jimmy Carter are in the club, as is (from Hollywood) the commander of the USS Enterprise. Here are a few memorable things they didn’t say.

5 Seconds

00:00

One giant step, one minor omission

The first words from the first man on the moon? Not "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,'' Armstrong long insisted. Instead, he began, "One small step for a man...'' The Apollo 11 astronaut maintained that the radio transmission swallowed the ''a'' as he spoke it. (On left, a July 20, 1969 NASA photo of Armstrong, who died on Aug. 25 at age 82.)

Uncredited / AP

Created the Internet? Never said that, exactly.

Much was made of then-Vice President Gore's March 1999 claim that "during my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to the nation's economic growth and environmental protection.'' Vint Cerf (often referred to as ''the father of the Internet'') has defended Gore's comment and his role in pushing government efforts to develop the Internet. In 2005, Gore was given a Webby Award for online achievement for decades of work on helping build the Internet.

STR / Reuters

'I can see Russia from my house'

No, those words were not spoken by Sarah Palin. Tina Fey, the comedian who skewered the former Alaska governor on Saturday Night Live, said them, based on a Palin interview with ABC News. In September 2008, the then-GOP vice presidential candidate said regarding Russia that "they're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." That, by the way, is true, on a clear day. An uninhabited island, but still...

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Coldest winter a summer in San Francisco? Try Paris.

Detractors of San Francisco love to point to a Mark Twain quote that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Except ... the closest historians have found to the cold summer/winter quip was one he made about Paris in 1879. Historian Ralph Hurst says droll witticisms are often misattributed to Twain, even when Twain would painstakingly offer correct attributions on some of them.

The Mark Twain House, Hartford, Conn.

'You cannot fool all of the people all of the time.'

This saying, first attributed to the 16th president and first GOP head of state in a book 36 years after his assassination, has not been corroborated. (Honest Abe may not have fought vampires with a giant ax, either, despite a recent movie and novel to that effect.) Abraham Lincoln did, however, say in 1858: "A house divided against itself cannot stand.'' (Of course, that's a quote from Matthew 12:25).

National Portrait Gallery / AP Photo

'My fellow immigrants'

Some quotes seem too good to be true. Did the aristocratic Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Groton-educated and a cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, open an April 1938 speech to the Daughters of the American Revolution with these words? The answer is no, according to Roosevelt's public papers. However, he was quoted as saying: "Remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.''

/ Associated Press

The Malaise Speech never used the word malaise

Contrary to a popular view, Jimmy Carter's tough 1979 speech -- in which he urged Americans to conserve energy -- went off very well at first, with Carter's poll numbers jumping 11 points, wrote Kevin Madden in the American Prospect on its 30th anniversary. "Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns," Carter told the nation. He said "fragmentation and self-interest" prevented Americans from tackling the energy crisis.

Dale G. Young / AP

'Beam me up, Scotty' ... NOT!

Even in TV and movie land, misquotes abound. William Shatner, James Kirk in "Star Trek,'' said "Beam me aboard," "Beam us up home," and "Beam us up, Scotty" but the closest he got to the ''trademark'' phrase was "Scotty, beam me up'' in the 1986 movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.'' Nonetheless, the popularity of the phrase prompted James Doohan, the actor who played Trek's chief engineer Mongomery Scott, to use it as the title of his 1996 autobiography.

NBC

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 18: Jockey Gary Stevens rides Oxbow out to the front of the pack on the first straight away during the 138th Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 18, 2013. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Oxbow wins and infield fun at Preakness Stakes in Baltimore

Oxbow put D. Wayne Lukas in the record books again with an upset of Orb in the Preakness, giving the Hall of Fame trainer his 14th win in a Triple...

Graduating students' with rain soaked mortar boards from a driving rain, listen as US President Barack Obama delivers the commencement address during a ceremony at Morehouse College on May 19, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGANMANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Obama addresses Morehouse College graduates

President Obama gets personal about race and manhood in a speech to graduates of historically black Morehouse College.

Carly Rae Jepsen arrives on the red carpet at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 19, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECKROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Billboard Music Awards 2013 red carpet

Stars float down the red carpet in Las Vegas. Performers at the event include Prince, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Miguel, Selena Gomez, Christina...

New York Yankees' Travis Hafner bats during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Sunday, May 12, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

MLB power rankings

Barry Svrluga assesses the best teams in Major League Baseball through Thursday.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.