Editorial: Box score -- 4:55:23

In less than five hours, John Glenn circled the earth 50 years ago. His three orbits on the morning of Feb. 20, 1962, gave new dreams about the future to Americans watching the thrilling spectacle on black-and-white televisions. In the midst of the Cold War, Glenn's mission uplifted a nation worried it was losing ground to the Soviet Union, which was then leading in the race to outer space. Glenn became a hero, eclipsing Charles Lindbergh and rivaling Elvis in popularity. Glenn boosted the psyche of a nation, and the celebration of his feat still inspires.