October 29, 1998: John Glenn Returns to Space at Age 77

October 29, 1998: The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-95. Among its crew is John Glenn. He had been the 1st American to orbit the Earth in 1962, was wrapping up his 4th term as a U.S. Senator from Ohio, and was now, at 77, the oldest person ever to travel in space. Also among the crew is Pedro Duque, the 1st native of Spain to fly in space.

Glenn had been a fighter pilot in the Korean War, a squadron-mate of baseball legend Ted Williams. After the war, he set a speed record flying from coast to coast. Of the "Mercury 7" -- who called him "Mr. Clean the Marine" -- he was the oldest, and the one with the most flying experience.

Because Glenn was the 1st American in orbit, he ended up being celebrated far more than Alan Shepard, whose Mercury-Redstone 3 launch in 1961 made him the 1st American in space, because his capsule, Freedom 7, never got into orbit.

Following his return to Earth, Glenn received a ticker-tape parade in New York, and a welcome to the White House from President John F. Kennedy. He became so useful as an example of American excellence that they didn't let him fly in space again. This might not have been fair, but it became more logical in 1968, when Soviet astronaut (they used the term "cosmonaut") Yuri Gagarin, the 1st person in space and the 1st person to orbit the Earth, was killed in a test flight.

In 1964, he ran for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from Ohio, but dropped out when an injury interfered with his ability to campaign. He tried again in 1970, narrowly losing the primary. He tried again in 1974, and won, the 1st of 4 terms he would win. His opponents liked to say, "John, what on Earth have you done for us?" The voters of Ohio seemed to think he was doing enough. He ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1984, but didn't get far.

On October 25, 1998, as he was retiring from the Senate, he finally returned to space, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, on mission STS-95. His fellow crewmembers: Air Force Colonels Curtis Brown and Steve Lindsey, mechanical engineer Stephen Robinson, physicians Scott Parazynski and Chiaki Mukai (the only woman on the crew), and the 1st astronaut from Spain, aeronautics engineer Pedro Duque. The mission lasted 10 days, and reported no problems.

Glenn was 77, at the time the oldest person ever to travel in space. This record would later be broken by several "space tourists," including William Shatner, the actor who played Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk, who was 90 years old when he finally reached "space, the final frontier" in real life, aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on October 13, 2021.

Glenn died in 2016, the last survivor of the Mercury 7.

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October 29, 1998 was a Thursday. Baseball season had ended 8 days earlier, when the New York Yankees completed a 4-game World Series sweep of the San Diego Padres. There was one college football game: Brigham Young University (BYU) beat San Diego State, 13-0 at Cougar Stadium (now LaVell Edwards Stadium) in Provo, Utah.

The NBA team owners had locked the players out, and the season didn't start until February 5, 1999. There were 5 games played in the NHL:

* The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Islanders, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins played to a tie, 1-1 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Ottawa Senators beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 at the Corel Centre in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, Ontario. (It's now the Canadian Tire Centre. The town was absorbed into Ottawa proper in 2001.)

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 at the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis.

* And the Colorado Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-2 at the McNichols Arena in Denver.

April 14, 1989: The Savings & Loan Scandal

Charles Keating

April 14, 1989: The U.S. government seizes the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, of Irvine, California, run by Charles Keating. He eventually goes to jail, as part of the massive 1980s Savings and Loan Crisis which costs U.S. taxpayers nearly $200 billion in bailouts, and many people their life savings.

Five Senators were accused of improperly aiding Keating. Alan Cranston of California, Dennis DeConcini of Arizona and Don Riegle of Michigan, all Democrats, chose not to run for re-election. The other two rode their hero credentials to stay in office: Former astronaut John Glenn, Democrat of Ohio; and former prisoner of war John McCain, Republican of Arizona.

In 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee determined in 1991 that Cranston, DeConcini, and Riegle had substantially and improperly interfered with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board's investigation of Lincoln Savings, with Cranston receiving a formal reprimand. Senators Glenn and McCain were cleared of having acted improperly, but were criticized for having exercised "poor judgment."

The S&L scandal managed to do what the stock market crash of 1987 did not: It became a factor in sending America into a recession, which lasted from 1990 to 1993.

McCain ran for President twice, and his role in the Keating Five was not a major factor on either occasion. Certainly, it was not one of the reasons that either George W. Bush defeated him in the Republican Primaries in 2000, or Barack Obama defeated him in the general election in 2008.

Cranston in 2000, Keating in 2014, Glenn in 2016, McCain in 2018. As of April 14, 2022, DeConcini and Riegle are still alive. (UPDATE: Riegle died in 2026, leaving DeConcini as the last survivor.)

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April 14, 1989 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-5 at the original Yankee Stadium. Al Leiter outpitched Frank Viola. Steve Balboni hit a home run. Don Mattingly went 1-for-3 with 2 walks. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Dave Winfield missed the entire season through injury.

* The New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. David Cone went the distance for the win. Mookie Wilson went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mike Schmidt went 0-for-4, and was soon to announce his retirement.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 10-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. Dwight Evans went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Phil Bradley hit a home run for the O's, and Cal Ripken went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-0 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. George Brett went 0-for-3.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-6 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Wallace Johnson doubled Otis Nixon home in the top of the 9th inning to win it. Barry Bonds went 1-for-5.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Paul Molitor hit a home run. Robin Yount went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Seven days earlier, the film Major League premiered, featuring a fictionalized version of the Indians, with County Stadium serving as a stand-in for Cleveland Municipal Stadium. (Due to the filming schedule, Cleveland's stadium was not available, because the Browns were playing; while Milwaukee's was, since the Green Bay Packers had already played their last Milwaukee "home game" of the season.) Hence, real-life Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker played fictional Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 7-5 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the California Angels, 9-5 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Rookie Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4.

Football was out of season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs were between rounds. The NBA was in the last weekend of its regular season, and these 7 games were played:

* The New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons, 104-100 at Madison Square Garden. Patrick Ewing scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The Pistons went on to win the NBA Championship anyway.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Chicago Bulls, 123-111 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-104 at the Boston Garden.

* The Charlotte Hornets beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 119-115 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Kelly Tripucka, son of former pro quarterback Frank Tripucka, both natives of my hometown of Bloomfield, New Jersey, scored 34 for the 1st-year expansion Hornets.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs, 118-110 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio. Adrian Dantley scored 34 for the Mavs.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 122-96 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. Karl Malone led all scorers on the night with 35 points.

* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Miami Heat, 97-86 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

February 20, 1962: John Glenn In Orbit

February 20, 1962: Mercury-Atlas 6 is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Aboard the capsule Friendship 7 is Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn Jr., U.S. Marine Corps. A 39-year-old native of New Concord, in southeastern Ohio, he becomes the 5th human being in space, the 3rd American; the 3rd human being to orbit the Earth, and the 1st American.

The mission lasts 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds, and the capsule makes 3 orbits of the Earth. Like all the capsules of Project Mercury, it had the number 7 as part of its name, after the first seven astronauts chosen by America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Glenn had been a fighter pilot in the Korean War, a squadron-mate of baseball legend Ted Williams. After the war, he set a speed record flying from coast to coast. Of the "Mercury 7" -- who called him "Mr. Clean the Marine" -- he was the oldest, and the one with the most flying experience.

Because Glenn was the 1st American in orbit, he ended up being celebrated far more than Alan Shepard, whose Mercury-Redstone 3 launch in 1961 made him the 1st American in space, because his capsule, Freedom 7, never got into orbit.

Following his return to Earth, Glenn received a ticker-tape parade in New York, and a welcome to the White House from President John F. Kennedy. He became so useful as an example of American excellence that they didn't let him fly in space again. This might not have been fair, but it became more logical in 1968, when Soviet astronaut (they used the term "cosmonaut") Yuri Gagarin, the 1st person in space and the 1st person to orbit the Earth, was killed in a test flight.

In 1964, he ran for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from Ohio, but dropped out when an injury interfered with his ability to campaign. He tried again in 1970, narrowly losing the primary. He tried again in 1974, and won, the 1st of 4 terms he would win. His opponents liked to say, "John, what on Earth have you done for us?" The voters of Ohio seemed to think he was doing enough. He ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1984, but didn't get far. This was in spite of his being perhaps the lead character of the 1983 film The Right Stuff, in which he was played by Ed Harris.

On October 25, 1998, as he was retiring from the Senate, he finally returned to space, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. He was 77, at the time the oldest person ever to travel in space. He died in 2016, the last survivor of the Mercury 7.

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February 20, 1962 was a Tuesday. Baseball and football were out of season. And no NHL games were scheduled for the day. But there were 4 games played in the NBA that night, 2 of them in a doubleheader at the old Madison Square Garden:

* In the opener at The Garden, The Philadelphia Warriors beat the Chicago Packers, 112-107. Yes, you read that right: "Chicago Packers." They were an expansion team. For 1962-63, bowing to the fact that no Chicago Bear fan wanted to root for a team called the Packers, they became the Chicago Zephyrs. But they flopped, and for 1963-64, they moved, becoming the Baltimore Bullets, the Washington Bullets in 1973 and the Washington Wizards in 1997.

The Warriors would move to San Francisco after this season. In this game, Wilt Chamberlain scored 48 points.

* In the nightcap, the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons, 110-103.

* The Cincinnati Royals beat the St. Louis Hawks, 129-109 at the Cincinnati Gardens. The Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968. The Royals moved in 1972 to become the Kansas City Kings, and in 1985 for Sacramento.

* And the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-96 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.