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John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962.
May 21, 2024 · John Glenn (born July 18, 1921, Cambridge, Ohio, U.S.—died December 8, 2016, Columbus, Ohio) was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth, completing three orbits in 1962. (Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space, had made a single orbit of Earth in 1961.) Glenn joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1942.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 10, 2024 · Glenn, who served four terms as a U.S. senator from Ohio, was one of NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts. His flight on Friendship 7 on Feb. 20, 1962, showed the world that America was a serious contender in the space race with the Soviet Union. It also made Glenn an instant hero.
Dec 8, 2015 · In 1962, aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft, John Glenn made history by becoming the first American to orbit Earth and kicked the U.S. space program into overdrive.
Feb 18, 2022 · Learn about the historic flight of John Glenn aboard Friendship 7, the first American to orbit the Earth. See photos and details of the launch, the mission, and the recovery of the astronaut and his spacecraft.
Dec 8, 2016 · John Herschel Glenn, Jr.—an astronaut, fighter pilot, and U.S. senator who is best known for being the first American to orbit the planet—died on Thursday at age 95.
Jul 25, 2023 · He was a business executive from 1965 until his election to the United States Senate in November 1974. Glenn retired from the U.S. Senate in January 1999. On February 20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 “Friendship 7” spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States.
