Interesting Awesome Great Facts About John Glennbr #InterestingAwesomeGreatFactsAboutJohnGlennbr - In addition to being an aviator in the United States Marine Corps, John Herschel Glenn Jr. was an engineer, an astronaut, a businessman, and a politician. This was the third time an American had been in space, and he was the first American to orbit the Earth three times in 1962, making him the third American in space.br br A native of Cambridge, Ohio, he was born on July 18, 1921,br br Died on December 8, 2016, at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus Ohio,br br Missions in space: Mercury Atlas 6, STS-95, Mercury-Atlas 6,br br He was married to Annie Glenn (m.