Who was the first American to orbit the earth?
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John Glenn...February 20, 1962
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Pictures from low orbit were taken by the Russian and American astronauts in the early 60's.\n\nBut the most impressive picture was taken in 1968 by the Apollo 8 astronauts: the first  photograph of the Earth from deep space.\n\nhttp://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051224.html
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Vostok 1 took Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into orbit on April 12, 1961.
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Considering Columbus never really made it to America, I would have to say Lewis and Clark would have to be the pick of the two you mentioned.  Columbus got as far as the Bahamas and stopped. Hence his new found world, but never really made it to America.
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1572---Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) observes a "new star." (See also here.) \n\n1582---Pope Gregory the 13th reforms the calendar. \n  1588   The "Spanish Armada," a fleet attacking Britain, is destroyed by the British navy and by storms. For the first time Britain is able to claim part of the American continent. \n  Europe and Asia are introduced to American crops--potatoes, tomatoes, corn. Europe´s diet is also gradually enriched by sugar, oranges and pepper, originating in India. \n1609---Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) builds the first astronomical telescope and observes for the first time craters on the Moon, satellites around Jupiter, and the way Venus goes through phases like the Moon (crescent, etc.) .\n\n1610 (approx) Sunspots and their rotation with the Sun were discovered independently by Galileo Galilei, Johann Fabricius (Holland) and Christopher Scheiner.   All used the recently-invented telescope, and Scheiner apparently introduced the safe method of projecting the Sun's image on a flat surface.\n\n---Johann Kepler (1571-1630), using Tycho's observations, formulates his first two laws of planetary motion (3rd law in 1619). \n   After a failed attempt (1586) to establish a colony on Roanoke Island, Virginia (now part of N. Carolina), Jamestown is founded in Virginia in 1607, and the first English settlers land in Massachussetts Bay in 1620 (the "Pilgrims"). \n  1618-1648---The 30 years' war. A century after Martin Luther broke away from the Roman church, a great religious war sweeps Europe, devastates Germany and establishes Sweden as a major military power. In the civil war in England, parliament suspends monarchy 1645-1660, king beheaded 1649.
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well there wasn't just one but the first person to walk on the moon was neil armstrong
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The First satellite in Space, Sputnik.\nThe Moon Landing. First man on the moon.\nVoyager first satellite to exit solar system, Voyager.
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On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  NASA began operation on October 1, 1958.
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Christopher Columbus (October 30, 1451? – 20 May 1506) was an explorer and trader, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached the Americas on October 12, 1492 under the flag of Castile. History places a great significance on his landing in America in 1492, with the entire period of the history of the Americas before this date usually known as Pre-Columbian, and the anniversary of this event, Columbus Day, is celebrated in many parts of America. Although there is evidence of Pre-Columbian trans-Atlantic Ocean European contact, Columbus is commonly credited as "the" European discoverer of the Americas because of the profound impact his contact wrought on history. His voyage marked the beginning of the European exploration and colonization of the Americas.\n\nIt is generally assumed he was Genoese, although some historians claim he could have been born in other places, from the Crown of Aragón to the Kingdoms of Galicia or Portugal, or in the Greek island of Chios, among others. The real name of the explorer is also unknown; see the section on Columbus' national origin for a discussion of his origin and names.
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Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20,1969.  Ten others followed during the next 3 years.
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The first President of the U.S. was George Washington.
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The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missle Crisis.  The Berlin Wall went up and JFK gave a speech in Berlin criticizing communism.  Things heated up in Southeast Asia and JFK sent Special Advisors (one of them Robert McNamara) into Viet Nam to report on the situation.  John Glenn became the first man to orbit the Earth and Kennedy asked Congress to approve more than 22 billion dollars for Project Apollo, which had the goal of landing an American man on the Moon before the end of the decade.  Kennedy appointed Byron Raymond White and Arthur Joseph Goldberg to the US Supreme Court (both in 1962).  Kennedy used the term New Frontier as a label for his domestic programs. It ambitiously promised federal funding for education, health care for the elderly, and government intervention to halt the recession. He formed the Peace Corps and put his brother-in-law, Sargeant Shriver, in charge.  Kennedy also promised an end to racial discrimination.  He sent US Marshalls to protect the Freedom Riders and federal troops to stop the race riot at the University of Mississippi when James Meredith was admitted as a student.  His wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, refurbished the White House and secured funding for it and its artifacts by classifying it as a museum.  Also on the domestic front, in 1963 Kennedy proposed a tax reform that included income tax cuts, but this was not passed by the Congress until after his death in 1964. It is one of the largest tax cuts in modern U.S. history, surpassing the Reagan tax cut of 1981.
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No one else had flown around the moon. \n\nIts analogous to Lindy's flight across the atlantic. It may seem like they didn't accomplish much in hindsight, but consider the time -- no on from this planet had ever even approached another astronomic body. Much less, had anyone orbited it.\n\nThose of us who remember Apollo 8 (I think I was about 10) know the exhilaration of knowing the US had beat the pants off the Soviets. Star Trek was in its first season - good God, put it in perspective. We had 3 goddamn TV channels.
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neil armstrong \nkool guy
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are you stupid or something??!! good grief.... you know who neil armstrong was (apparently) but you don't know who George Washington was? THE FIRST PRESIDENT!!!
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On April 12, 1981, 25 years ago, the Space Shuttle Columbia became the first shuttle to orbit the Earth.
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The Soviet Sputnik program consisted of four satellites, three of which reached Earth orbit. \n\nSputnik 1, launched on Oct.4, 1957, became the first artificial satellite to successfully orbit the Earth. It was a metallic sphere about 2 feet across, weighing 184 lbs (84 kg), with long "whiskers" pointing to one side, and stayed in orbit for 6 months before falling back to Earth. Its rocket booster, weighing 4 tons, also reached orbit and was easily visible from the ground. \n\nThe second Sputnik satellite was launched on Nov 3, 1957 and carried a dog, named Laika, into space. Biological data was returned for a week before the animal had to be put to sleep. \n\nThe last Sputnik installment was intended to be a space laboratory for study of Earth's magnetic field and radiation belt. After its launch on May 15, 1958, it remained in orbit for nearly two years. \n\nThe Sputnik missions all happened during the midst of the Cold War between the U.S.S.R. and the United States. Americans became worried about the Soviet accomplishments and soon the development of space technology became a national priority. \n\n4 more details get 2 dese links;\nhttp://www.batnet.com/mfwright/sputnik.html\nhttp://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/\nhttp://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsatellite.htm\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1\nhttp://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9069273\nhttp://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0843738.html