(FoxNews) – A bag of moon dust from NASA’s Apollo 11 mission – which a
woman bought for $995 in 2015 — sold for $1.8 million at a Sotheby’s auction
this week following an intense court battle.

The bag, filled with moon dust by astronaut Neil Armstrong during the first
manned mission to the moon in July 1969, had previously been misidentified
and mistakenly sold at an online government auction.

NASA’s attempt to retrieve the bag failed after a federal judge in December
ruled it legally belonged to a Chicago-area woman who bought it two years
ago.

The buyer in Tuesday’s auction declined to be identified. The pre-sale estimate
was $2 million to $4 million.

Pictured, astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in July of 1969.

TIM MAGUIRE

Astronaut Neil Armstrong

America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing
on Mars on this day in 1976.

First image taken by Viking 1 form the surface of Mars.

An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf
Hitler failed on this day in 1944. The bomb exploded at Hitler’s Rastenburg headquarters. He was only wounded.

The conference room soon after the explosion that wounded
Hitler.

Sir Edmund Percival "Ed" Hillary
(July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008)

Adventurer and philanthropist Sir Edmund Hillary became one
of the first people to reach the top of Everest with the help of his
guide, Tensing Norgay. He became a beekeeper during the
summer so as to keep himself available to climb in the winter.

His adventures led to him being named one of the most influential
people by Time Magazine of the 20th century.

Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay.

Carlos Santana is 70 years old today.

Guitarist Carlos Santana blended rock with Latin American music and fronted
Santana. He won the Best Rock Album Award and the Album of the Year
Award for Supernatural in 2000. He began playing the guitar when he was
eight and turned down an opportunity to attend Humbolt State University to
pursue a career in music.

In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 20 on their list of
the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and
three Latin Grammy Awards.

CARLATA BRADLEY

The Women’s Rights Convention took place in Seneca Fall, NY.
where bloomers were introduced on this day in 1848. 

President Clinton (center) prepares to announce his new ‘Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy on this day in 1993.

It was on this day in 1969.

Representation of the Apollo 11 spacecraft entering orbit around
the moon.

The Summer Olympics – Moscow, Soviet Union, began
on this day in1980.

A view of the 1980 Moscow Olympics opening ceremony.