Into the Sky with Diamonds | Page 2 | Fab forum

February 1962. While Brian Epstein knocked on frigid London doors hoping to get his boys a contract, John Glenn readied himself for the most important moment of his life – in fact, one of the most important of the 20^th century.

Kennedy had challenged his country to get a man to the Moon and back by the end of the decade, presumably ahead of the Communist Soviets.

That was a laugh!

The Soviets had already sent a man orbiting the Earth, while the U.S. had just two measly cannonball shots under its belt.

On February 20^th1962, after no less than ten delays, Glenn finally went up – the first American to orbit the Earth.

However, in the middle of the mission it looked like disaster would strike: A light in the cockpit suggested a loose heat shield. Had this been the case, Glenn would have disintegrated upon re-entry (as would a Space Shuttle decades later), and today’s political map might look quite different.                                                                                                                                 Of course he didn’t disintegrate; instead, he got a ticker tape parade down the canyons of Manhattan.

To his credit, Glenn never financially cashed in on his fame.

He remained a civil servant, becoming a four-time Senator from Ohio.

At the ripe age of 77 …. he returned to space on a Space Shuttle.

He’s still the oldest man to have flown in space.

Glenn turned 90 this past year.

Happy Birthday John Glenn!

Geez, meanmistermustard, thank you SO much for pointing that out. I'd completely missed that. Would have been very awkward for me not to thank Steve Marinucci.

Actually, I was just thinking of you yesterday: the attached picture is the back cover of this week's Newsweek magazine. Will be a perfect addition to my Beatle/Space lecture.

(Quick trivia question: which astronaut swung a golf club on the Moon? and what was he most famous for before that?)

Thanks again.

The answer is …. Alan Shepard, Commander of Apollo 14 (Plenty of YouTube videos)

Shepard is better known for being the first American in Space. He was America's greatest astronaut hero until John Glenn came along less than a year later. And of course Glenn himself was eclipsed (so to speak) by Neil Armstrong.

[Shepard is a good example of perseverance and "hanging in there"

Following his little cannon-ball shot into space, he was grounded with an ear condition (Meniere's).

But he never gave up on his dream to return in space, and he was rewarded 10 years later with the Apollo 14 mission.]

OK, here's an inexpensive piece of memorabilia.

I like it because the depiction of the Yellow Submarine is very different from the one we've come to know and love. This is basically a fish with a periscope.

It gives me the opportunity to ask people who visit, "Any idea why this yellow submarine is so different from THE Yellow Submarine?"

[I'm guessing most people on the BB Forum know the answer]

Not a bad guess mr. Sun king ct – but here was the sleeve. (And when you turned it over, Elearnor Rigby was in the bigger font.)

The answer is that when the song came out (summer '66), it was …  just a song.

The music publishers weren't going to knock themselves out drawing some fancy submarine just for the sheet music.

It wasn't until 2 years or so later when United Artists decided to make the cartoon that time was expended to create THE yellow submarine.

(this is where memorabilia can be fun).