10 April, 1959 Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr. was named as one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts selected for space training. The seven astronauts, all volunteers, were selected by NASA from an initial group of 110 leading military test pilots. Three years later, on 20 February 1962, Col Glenn would become the first American to orbit the Earth. Previous Article 6 April 1991 Next Article 12-13 April 1918 Print Day of Month (for ordering)10