It was 45 years ago today when Apollo 11 reached the moon, and an estimated 600 million people tuned in when Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on another world.

The second person to step on the moon was a New Jersey native -- Buzz Aldrin.

Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. was born on Jan. 20, 1930 in Glen Ridge. He grew up in nearby Montclair and still visits the Garden State. He was a 2008 inductee into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the first class to be inducted.

Below are some things you may not have known about Aldrin growing up in New Jersey and the Lunar Landing.

1. Was it destiny?

Perhaps it was destiny for Aldrin to land on the moon. His mother’s name was Marion Moon and his father, Edwin Eugene Aldrin Sr., was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. His father also was the commanding officer at Newark Airport.

2. His sister gave him his nickname

Aldrin earned his nickname because his little sister couldn't pronounce "brother." She would say "buzzer," and Aldrin's family shortened it to Buzz. He legally changed his name to Buzz in 1988.

3. He was a high school athlete

Montclair High School's undefeated football state-championship team in 1946 included Aldrin as a center. He also was a pole-vaulter during his high school career.

4. He was "Dr. Rendezvous" because of his degree

Aldrin graduated a year early from Montclair High School before graduating third in his class from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point (something he said in a recent Reddit AMA is one of his biggest non-space accomplishments). He later became the first astronaut with a doctorate, and his thesis was the basis for the docking procedures used in the Gemini and Apollo missions.

5. The first spacewalk

Aldrin might not have been the first person to set foot on the moon, but he was the first person to accomplish a successful spacewalk. He did it in 1966 on the Gemini 12 mission, which was the final of that series. He spent 5 1/2 hours outside the spacecraft, which was a record at the time.

6. His time on the moon

Aldrin and Neil Armstrong spend 21 hours on the moon and brought back 46 pounds of rocks. Aldrin's first words on the moon were "Beautiful view. Magnificent desolation."

7. Buzz Aldrin Day

The Apollo 11 crew went on a 45-day international tour following their return to Earth, but Aldrin's hometown didn't forget about him. Montclair celebrated Buzz Aldrin Day that fall, complete with a parade honoring the astronaut.

8. New Jersey's moon rock

New Jersey has its form of a moon rock to honor Aldrin. There's a rock outside his childhood home on Princeton Place in Montclair with a plaque dedicated to him.

9. Still connected to Montclair

Aldrin has a continued connection to his hometown. He's a Freemason and a member of Montclair Lodge # 144 of New Jersey.