July 18

July 18 is the birthday of John Glenn, former Marine Corps pilot, astronaut and U.S. senator. He was the third American in space and the first American to orbit the Earth on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission on February 20, 1962, aboard a spacecraft named Friendship 7. The launch was postponed four times from its original date. The space capsule was built in 1960-1961 by McDonnell Aircraft on a St. Louis assembly line. In the photo, note the liberal use of what appears to be duct tape. Scott Carpenter teased Glenn by saying, “Remember John, this whole thing was built by the low bidder.”