In 1962 a United States Marine Corps aviator who later on won re-election to a fourth term, coinciding with Bill Clinton's narrow win during the presidential election, became the first what?
John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was a United States Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, and United States Senator from Ohio. In 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times.
Leon D. Cuddeback Leon Dewey "Lee" Cuddeback (May 16, 1898 - July 6, 1984) flew the first scheduled, civilian Air Mail (Contract Air Mail) flight in the United States on April 6, 1926. He did so as chief pilot of Varney Air Lines. His route began in Pasco, Washington, had a stop in Boise, Idaho, and terminated in Elko, Nevada. Because the start of the contract air mail system is considered the beginning of airline service, Cuddeback's flight is cited as the first U.S. airline flight, and is also celebrated as the "birthday" of United Airlines.