1960s Timeline

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Feb 20, 2022

Pilot Who Circled Globe in 1924 Calls Glenn Spaceflight "A Remarkable Thing"

Feb. 20, 1962 - Leigh Wade (pictured third from left in 1924) got out of bed at 6:30 a.m. today to watch on television as Lieut. Col....

Feb 20, 2022

The TV Voice of the Spaceflight: Lieutenant Colonel John "Shorty" Powers

Feb. 20, 1962 - One of the voices most frequently heard around the world today was that of a 5-foot-6, 39-year-old former bomber pilot...

Feb 20, 2022

President Kennedy's Statement on Glenn Spaceflight

Feb. 20, 1962 - Following is the text of President Kennedy’s statement on Colonel Glenn’s flight: “I know that I express the great...

Feb 20, 2022

The World Follows Glenn Spaceflight

Feb. 20, 1962 - The orbital flight of Colonel Glenn proved today to be a sort of super goodwill tour. Expressions of sympathy, pride and...

Feb 20, 2022

Parents of Colonel Glenn Say Prayers Have Been Answered

Feb. 20, 1962 - The parents of Lieut. Col. John Glenn Jr. (pictured in 1945), radiant and relieved that their long wait was over, said...

Feb 20, 2022

Transcript of President Kennedy's Phone Call to Colonel Glenn

Feb. 20, 1962 - Following is the transcription of a telephone conversation between President Kennedy and Colonel Glenn this afternoon:...

Feb 20, 2022

Massive Radio and TV Audience for Glenn Spaceflight

Feb. 20, 1962 - The radio-TV audience for Colonel Glenn’s orbital flight today was enormous. Frank McGee of NBC reported that more than...

Feb 20, 2022

Man is One Step Closer to the Moon

Feb. 20, 1962 - The three-orbit flight around the world by Lieut. Col. John Glenn Jr. today puts man closer to the moon. The next step...

Feb 20, 2022

Marine Corps Proud of Colonel Glenn

Feb. 20, 1962 - The United States Marine Corps threw out its chest with pride and admiration today over the successful orbiting of Marine...

Feb 20, 2022

Colonel Glenn Has Snack in Space

Feb. 20, 1962 - About 20 minutes after he had soared aloft, Lieut. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. had his first snack in space. The Mercury...

Feb 20, 2022

🚨 Colonel John Glenn is First American to Orbit the Earth

Feb. 20, 1962 - John H. Glenn Jr. orbited three times around the earth today and landed safely to become the first American to make such...

Feb 19, 2022

Glenn Spaceflight May Happen Tomorrow Morning

Feb. 19, 1962 - The prospects for sending Lieut. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. into orbit tomorrow seem better than they have for a week. The...

Feb 14, 2022

Another Postponement of Glenn Spaceflight

Feb. 14, 1962 - Storms in the Atlantic caused another postponement today in the attempt to send Lieut. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. into orbit...

Jan 28, 2022

Video: Documentary "The Race to Space"

Jan. 28, 1962 - “The Race to Space” is a documentary which chronicles some of the space accomplishments of the past year. #nasa...

Jan 26, 2022

Senator Douglas Questions Moonshot

Jan. 26, 1962 - Senator Paul H. Douglas (pictured second from left in 1958) said today that he and many astronomers question the wisdom...

Jan 26, 2022

Ranger 3 Spacecraft Fails

Jan. 26, 1962 - An attempt to send the Ranger 3, a complex 727-pound spacecraft, to take close-up television pictures of the moon failed...

Jan 22, 2022

Another Postponement of Glenn Spaceflight

Jan. 22, 1962 - An attempt to rocket John H. Glenn Jr. into orbit was postponed today from Wednesday to Saturday at the earliest. The...

Jan 4, 2022

Astronaut John Glenn Profiled on ABC-TV

Jan. 4, 1962 - Lieut. Col. John H. Glenn Jr., who is scheduled to attempt an orbital flight later this month, was the subject of an ABC...

Nov 29, 2021

Chimp's Space Flight a Qualified Success

Nov. 29, 1961 - A male chimpanzee named Enos flew two 17,500-mile-an-hour orbits around the earth today. The flight, in a Project Mercury...

Nov 28, 2021

President Kennedy Awards Three X-15 Pilots the Harmon Trophy

Nov. 28, 1961 - President Kennedy awarded the Harmon International Trophy for Aviators today to three test pilots of the X-15 rocket...