5 Things You Didn't Know About John Glenn

The first man to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, died Thursday at age 95. Following this extraordinary achievement, he distinguished himself again by reaching impressive heights in the world of politics.

But while he spent much of his life in the public eye, many Americans are not aware of his many contributions to the nation.

Here are five things you might not have known about him:

1. Before he flew in space, he flew in war.

Glenn entered the Naval Aviation Cadet program in 1942 and learned to fly F-4U fighters. He was a member of the Marine Fighter Squadron 155 and flew 59 combat missions in World War II. He continued to serve after the war.

When the Korean War broke out, he joined Marine Fighter Squadron 311 and was an exchange pilot with the Air Force Glenn. He flew a total of 90 missions in that war.

John Glenn, 1st American to Orbit Earth and U.S. Senator, Dead at 95

2. He was chosen out of 508 pilots to be a NASA astronaut.

In 1958, Glenn was one of 508 pilots considered for the Mercury program. It was launched as a response to the Soviet Union's launch of the Satellite Sputnik in 1957.

3. His first words while floating weightless in orbit

Upon reaching orbit and becoming weightless on Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn declared "Zero G, and I feel fine."

4. Though he originally testified in favor of excluding women from serving as astronauts, he later changed his mind.

In 1962, when women were not technically barred from serving as astronauts, Glenn told Congress that excluding them was simply a matter of course.

"I think this gets back to the way our social order is organized, really," he said. "It is just a fact. The men go off and fight the wars and fly the airplanes and come back and help design and build and test them. The fact that women are not in this field is a fact of our social order."

Later, however, in an interview with author Martha Ackmann, he said he regretted his testimony.

"He did say that times have changed and it’s a different world,” Ackmann said.

5. He was runner-up to Walter Mondale, twice.

John Glenn became a prominent Democratic senator from Ohio and nearly achieved even higher office. In 1976, he was runner-up to be Jimmy Carter's running mate and eventual vice president, a position which went to Walter Mondale.

In 1984, after Carter has been replaced by Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office, Glenn was runner-up to Mondale once again. Mondale nabbed the Democratic Party's nomination for president ahead of Glenn — though he went on to lose a devastating 49 states to the Republican incumbent.

Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps