John Glenn

American astronaut and politician (1921–2016)

Source-basedStable

Lived 1921–2016, aged 95United States

United States Historical Figures

Fame49.2
Momentum5.7
Historical Figures rank#45
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Wikipedia
76 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1921–2016
Aged 95

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

First American to orbit Earth in 1962, then parlayed that into 25 years as a U.S. senator from Ohio. Came back to space at 77 just to prove he still had it.

Biography

About

John Herschel Glenn Jr. was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962. Following his retirement from NASA, he served from 1974 to 1999 as a U.S. senator from Ohio. In 1998, he flew into space again at the age of 77.

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