John Glenn

John Glenn, born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, was an astronaut and U.S. Senator. He became the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, completing three orbits and cementing his place in space history. Before his spaceflight, Glenn served as a distinguished Marine Corps pilot during World War II and the Korean War. In 1998, at age 77, he flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to fly in space, contributing to research on spaceflight's effects on the elderly. After his NASA career, Glenn served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1974 to 1999, focusing on science, technology, and military affairs. He passed away on December 8, 2016.