John Glenn was a NASA astronaut who, in 1962, made history by becoming the first American to orbit Earth. He was one of the "Mercury 7," NASA's first astronaut class.

When John Glenn was called up to fly in the Korean War, he asked for the Boston Red Sox legend — and skilled pilot — Ted Williams to be his wingman. lyonairmuseum.org.

John Glenn, who captured the nation’s attention in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth during a tense time when the United States sought supremacy over the Soviet Union in the space ...

John Glenn grew up only two hours outside of Pittsburgh in Cambridge, Ohio. He orbited Earth three times and was in space for more than 5 hours before landing safely in the Atlantic Ocean.