John Glenn was an American astronaut, Marine Corps pilot, and U.S. senator. Born on July 18, 1921 in Ohio, he became the first American to orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962, aboard the spacecraft Friendship 7, making him a national hero. Before his spaceflight, he served as a decorated combat pilot in World War II and the Korean War. After retiring from NASA, Glenn entered politics and served as a U.S. senator from Ohio from 1974 to 1999. In 1998, at age 77, he returned to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to fly in space. He died in 2016.