Here is a look at the life of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth.

Personal: Birth date: July 18, 1921

Birth place: Cambridge, Ohio

Birth name: John Herschel Glenn, Jr.

Father: John Glenn, Sr., a plumber

Mother: Clara (Sproat) Glenn

Marriage: Anna Margaret (Castor) Glenn (April 6, 1943-present)

Children: Carolyn Ann, March 19, 1947; John David, December 13, 1945

Education: Muskingum College, 1939-1942

Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, Colonel, 1943-1965