Johnny Carson began hosting The Tonight Show in 1962, the same year that John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, traveling over 81,000 miles in five hours.

Also that year:

• U.S. troops on a training mission in Vietnam are ordered to fire if fired upon by enemy troops. A new military command is set up in South Vietnam and several officers are killed by Communist guerrillas near Saigon.
• Congress passes a Constitutional amendment (the 24th) forbidding the use of a poll or other tax as a requirement for voting in federal elections.
• France and Algeria sign a truce, ending a seven-year civil war between the French and Muslims there. France recognizes Algeria’s sovereignty following a unanimous vote for independence by the Algerians.
• Andy Warhol, leading painter of the pop art movement, paints “Green Coca-Cola Bottles” and “Marilyn Monroe.”
• Joseph Heller, novelist, publishes Catch 22 about the misadventures of an officer during World War II.