Widely known as the first American in space, Alan B. Shepard was born November 18, 1923 in East Derry, New Hampshire. His beginnings were humble and focused: his family owned a farm, and a young Shepard did chores in trade for lessons about planes. His father, a retired Army officer, was a very large influence on him, and helped him obtain the skills necessary to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Following graduation, he became an ensign and served during the last US efforts of World War II. He kept a girlfriend back in Annapolis, Louise Brewer, who he promptly married upon his return. Although he was still in the Navy, he hadn’t lost his childhood dream to fly. Anxious to get up into the skies, he took flying lessons in Texas and in Florida, and got his pilot’s license in 1947.

As his talent in flying grew, he took on challenging assignments, including high-altitude flying tests. His career as a Navy pilot put him on a plane for over 8,000 hours. In the meantime, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) was formed, and they were looking for skilled aircraft operators to volunteer for their manned space program. Shepard was chosen as one of the seven original astronauts for the Mercury space flight missions. On May 5, 1961, Shepard became the first American launched into space and the second human, after Yuri Gagarin.

He had many other flights into space after that, and his heroism became well known all over the world. He was a pivotal astronaut in the Gemini and Apollo programs, and received the Congressional Medal of Honor. After serving his time as an astronaut, he ran businesses and wrote about his experiences until his death from leukemia in 1998.