jul 21, 1961 - Virgil I. Grissom, piloting the Mercury-Redstone 4 spacecraft Liberty Bell 7, becomes the second American to go into space (sub-orbital). After splashdown, the hatch prematurely opens, and the spacecraft sinks (it is recovered in 1999)
Added to timeline:
Date:
jul 21, 1961
Now
~ 64 years ago