In 1976, a former NASA intern paid $217 for 1,150 old tapes; 43 years later, 3 Apollo 11 recordings from the lot sold for $1.82 million

In 1976, a former NASA intern named Gary George bought 1,150 surplus magnetic tape reels for just $217.77. He planned to resell them to TV stations for quick profit. His father noticed three reels labeled "APOLLO 11 EVA" and suggested saving them. George tucked them into a closet, where they sat untouched for thirty years.

In 2006, NASA admitted it had accidentally erased its original Apollo 11 moonwalk tapes during a routine reuse program. Realizing what he owned, George located the forgotten box and took the reels to a specialist studio. Using rare vintage playback equipment, engineers confirmed the tapes contained the clearest surviving raw video of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.