kidsneedscience:

Fifty years ago today, astronaut John Glenn made history by become the first American in space aboard the Friendship 7 capsule, circling the Earth 3 times. Most of the words here fall into two categories-first, the words with deep histories going back thousands of years, slowly evolving into a precise modern science word; the others are words composed by scientists late at night, often after a call to friends in the Classics departments for help with Latin and Greek. Today’s word has a much more down to earth history, as astronaut John Glenn was charged with naming his capsule. He tells the story of how the Friendship 7 got its name in his memoir:

I set about naming the capsule. Al’s (Shepard) Freedom 7 had struck the right note. Gus (Grissom) in Liberty Bell 7, had been inspired by both patriotism and the capsule’s shape. I had several ideas, but I was trying very hard to keep Dave and Lyn (his children) involved and make them feel a part of my mission. I asked them if they would be willing to think about some names. I said, ‘There’s only one ground rule. The world is going to be watching, so the name should represent our country and the way we feel about the rest of the world.’ They pored over a thesaurus and wrote dozens of names in a notebook. Then they worked them down to several possibilities, names and words including; Columbia, Endeavour, America, Magellan, we, hope, harmony, and kindness. At the top of the list was their first choice: Friendship. I was so proud of them. They had chosen perfectly.…

Well done, John! As word histories goes, this one is one of the most recent and one of the most powerful and resonating.