Feb. 23, 1962 - It would have been hard to convince anyone in a television quiz-show audience in New York a little more than four years ago that a red-haired contestant would be the first American to orbit the globe. In September and October of 1957, the relatively unknown Maj. John H. Glenn Jr. won $15,000 by identifying 25 songs on a CBS quiz show called “Name That Tune.” Shortly before, he had broken the jet speed record between New York and California as a test pilot. Perhaps prophetically, one of the tunes he identified was “Far Away Places.” Major Glenn, now a lieutenant colonel, was teamed up with a 10-year-old partner, Eddie Hodges, on the quiz show. The child also went on to win acclaim. His appearance on the show led to a major role in the Broadway hit musical “The Music Man” and other stage and film productions. At about the same time, Major Glenn appeared on two other CBS quiz shows, “I’ve Got a Secret” and “Two for the Show.”
