Thread by @AndySaunders_1

Classic design - that Apollo 11 patch.
NASA had no input initially, with @AstroMCollins taking the lead on design. The crew agreed it should represent a peaceful landing, by the US. It was Jim Lovell who suggested the American Eagle, which Collins traced from a @NatGeo mag... 1/6

onto some tissue paper. He then sketched in the lunar surface and later the Earth (albeit incorrectly, as it should be rotated 90 degrees). Tom Wilson, the crew's simulator instructor overheard a conversation about further developing the design and suggested the eagle should 2/6

carry an olive branch as a symbol of peace. Collins sketched this in. The crew agreed on a black sky and gold lettering for the mission name, but Armstrong didn't agree with spelling out "Eleven" as it wouldn't translate globally so they agreed on "Apollo 11". The crew also 3/6

agreed, due to the significance of the mission, to not include their names, as they wanted something to represent the thousands of people that made Apollo happen - it's one of the very few crew patches with no names. Washington would not sign-off the design as, 4/6

according to Bob Gilruth, the talons made the eagle and symbolism too aggressive. The olive branch was simply moved from mouth to talons to soften them and the final version approved.
A classic design from the Apollo era, led with humility by @AstroMCollins but a real joint 5/6

effort by the crew, back-up crew and colleagues.
The patch was designed first, and as a result the Lunar Module was named Eagle. Armstrong and @TheRealBuzz were happy as this sounded great over radio. Sure we all agree -

"Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed!"