Feb. 20, 1962: John Glenn in Orbit
On the 20th of February, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.
TIME breathlessly covered the landmark event in a cover story, remarking that, "In his flight across the heavens, John Glenn was a latter-day Apollo, flashing through the unknown, sending his cool observations and random comments to the earth in radio thunderbolts, acting as though orbiting the earth were his everyday occupation."