John Glenn

18 July 1921 – 8 December 2016

John Glenn was an American aviator, astronaut and politician. A Marine Corps fighter pilot in the Second World War and the Korean War, he was selected as one of NASA's Mercury Seven astronauts and in 1962 became the first American to orbit the Earth. He later represented Ohio in the United States Senate for twenty-four years and returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle in 1998.

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Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with John Glenn.

Life events

Born in Cambridge, Ohio
18 July 1921

Glenn was born in Cambridge, Ohio, and raised in nearby New Concord.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Anna Margaret Castor
6 April 1943

Glenn married his childhood friend Annie Castor, to whom he remained married for the rest of his life.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Flew combat missions as a Marine Corps aviator in the Pacific
1944 – 1945

Glenn flew fighter missions in the Marshall Islands campaign during the Second World War.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Flew combat missions in the Korean War
1953

Glenn flew ground-attack and fighter missions and shot down three MiG-15s near the end of the conflict.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Set a transcontinental speed record in Project Bullet
16 July 1957

Glenn flew an F8U Crusader from California to New York in under three and a half hours, the first supersonic transcontinental flight.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Selected as one of NASA's Mercury Seven astronauts
9 April 1959

NASA introduced Glenn and six other pilots as the astronauts for Project Mercury.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Orbited the Earth aboard Friendship 7
20 February 1962

On the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three orbits.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Elected to the United States Senate from Ohio
5 November 1974 – 1999

Glenn won the 1974 Senate election and served four terms, until January 1999.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-95
29 October 1998

At the age of 77 Glenn flew as a payload specialist, becoming the oldest person to travel in space at the time.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Columbus, Ohio
8 December 2016

Glenn died at the age of 95 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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