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Video: Clip from the movie "The Right Stuff." When John Glenn shows himself to be a real American hero by braving the anger of Lyndon Johnson. I love this scene. The rival astronauts, who didn't really like Mr. Clean Marine, jump to support Glenn. Their wives support his wife.
It's the honorable descendant of that scene in John Ford's "Fort Apache," when Sgt. Maj. Michael O'Rourke says to his commanding officer: "This is my home, Colonel Owen Thursday. And in my home I will say who is to get out and who is to stay. And I will remind the Colonel that his presence here — uninvited — is contrary to Army regulations, not to mention the code of a well-mannered man!"
So there.
First man in space? Ummm, no. That was Yuri Gagarin.
First American in space? Nope. Alan Shepard.
First person to orbit the earth? Well, no. Gagarin again.
First American to orbit the earth? Yes.
He also got elected to the Senate. And make a credible run for president. And become the oldest man ever to go into space.
I thought he'd make a great president. Unlike some others, he would have no need to prove his bravery by starting a goofy war someplace.
— Former astronaut, US Sen. John Glenn of Ohio has died at 95 — Seth Borenstein | AP Science Writer | Salt Lake Tribune
"Washington • John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an all-American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died Thursday. The last survivor of the original Mercury 7 astronauts was 95. ...
" ...John Herschel Glenn Jr. had two major career paths that often intersected: flying and politics, and he soared in both of them. ..."
I was 5 years old when Glenn took off, and my rapt attention to all aspects of the U.S. space program, through the moon landings, was what got me reading newspapers, magazines and everything else that had anything to do with astronauts.
Like lot of people my age, I would very much like to have become an astronaut. But I was the kid who got sick on the kiddie roller coaster at the Red Willow County Fair. And, after about 9th grade, my math skills weren't keeping up, either.
But I soon figured out that all those newspaper and TV reporters got to meet astronauts, talk to them, watch their training and launches and returns. So, for my career path, you can blame John Glenn.
Not many years later, the McCook, Neb., Municipal Airport had an open house for its new terminal building. The main attraction was Major Astro, a local TV kids' show host (played by ad man Tom Leahy) whose show was a result of the insane popularity of the space program.
While everyone was flocking around the Major — I got to hold his space helmet for the drive into town — someone else landed at the airport in a small place and immediately drove off to go duck hunting. The story that spread around town later was that that unseen visitor was Scott Carpenter, a real astronaut, and the guy who said, "Godspeed, John Glenn," as Friendship 7 was lifting off.
— John Glenn, American Hero of the Space Age, Dies at 95 — The New York Times
" ... In just five hours on Feb. 20, 1962, Mr. Glenn joined a select roster of Americans whose feats have seized the country's imagination and come to embody a moment in its history, figures like Lewis and Clark, the Wright brothers and Charles Lindbergh. ..."
— John Glenn, Pioneering Astronaut, Dies at Age 95 — National Geographic
— Remembering John Glenn — The Atlantic
— 50 Years Later, John Glenn Recounts His Historic Mission — PBS NewsHour