* 1965 – NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States ' first two-man space flight ( crew: Gus Grissom and John Young ).

* March 23 – Gemini 3: NASA launches the United States ' first 2-person crew ( Gus Grissom, John Young ) into Earth orbit.

Virgil Ivan Grissom ( April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967 ), ( Lt Col, USAF ), better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot.

Grissom re-enlisted in the military after his graduation from Purdue, this time in the newly formed United States Air Force.

United States Air Force | USAF F-86 Sabre | F-86F similar to the aircraft Grissom flew in Korea.

* Grissom was the " Class Exemplar " of the United States Air Force Academy class of 2007.

Named for one of the United States ’ original seven astronauts and the first person in space twice, Virgil T. “ Gus ” Grissom, Grissom Hall opened in 1967.

* March 23-NASA launches Gemini 3 which is the United States ' first two-person space flight took ( crew: Gus Grissom and John Young ).

These islands, named Oil Islands Freeman, Grissom, White, and Chaffee, are named for Theodore Freeman, the first United States NASA astronaut to die during flight, and for Virgil I. Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee, who were killed by a fire during the Apollo One mission.

The character Gus Griswald in the popular children's TV show Recess is named after Grissom ( his fictional father is a General in the US Army and Gus is his recruit ).

* Cyrus " The Virus " Grissom, a character in the 1997 film Con Air, played by John Malkovich

Grissom was killed along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ( then known as Cape Kennedy ), Florida.

The family remained there only briefly and in December 1951 they moved to Presque Isle, Maine where Grissom was assigned to Presque Isle Air Force Base and became a member of the 75th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

In August 1955, Grissom was reassigned to the Air Force Institute of Technology located in Dayton, Ohio.

* Bunker Hill Air Force Base in Peru, Indiana, was renamed on May 12, 1968, to Grissom Air Force Base.

In 1994 it was again renamed to Grissom Air Reserve Base following the USAF's realignment program.

* Grissom Dining Facility, Misawa Air Base, Japan.

* Grissom Hall at the former Chanute Air Force Base, Rantoul, Illinois, where Minuteman missile maintenance training was conducted.

* Grissom Avenue at the former Mather Air Force Base, now known as Sacramento Mather Airport, Rancho Cordova, California, is one of a number of streets at the former base named after Mercury, Gemini and Apollo program astronauts.

Grissom Elementary School, at the closed Clark Air Base, Philippines.

Before he became widely known as an astronaut, the film Air Cadet ( 1951 ) starring Richard Long and Rock Hudson briefly featured Grissom early in the movie as a U. S. Air Force candidate for flight school at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas.

Chaffee died along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at the then-Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, Florida, in 1967.

# REDIRECT Grissom Air Reserve Base

** Bunker Hill Air Force Base, former name of Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base, located west of the town of Bunker Hill

* 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom ARB, Indiana

# REDIRECT Grissom Air Reserve Base

* 1967 – Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

* Virgil Ivan " Gus " Grissom, USAF ( 1926 – 1967 ); flew 21 July 1961.

In addition to Bobby Thomson and Willie Mays, other memorable members of the Giants teams during the 1950s include: Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher, coach Herman Franks, Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin, outfielder and runnerup for the 1954 NL batting championship ( won by Willie Mays ) Don Mueller, Hall of Fame knuckleball relief pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, starting pitchers Larry Jansen, Sal Maglie, Jim Hearn, Marv Grissom, Dave Koslo, Don Liddle, Max Lanier, Rubén Gómez, and Johnny Antonelli, catcher Wes Westrum, catchers Ray Katt and Sal Yvars, shortstop Alvin Dark, third baseman Hank Thompson, first baseman Whitey Lockman, second basemen Davey Williams and Eddie Stanky, outfielder, pitcher Clint Hartung, Hall of Fame second baseman Red Schoendienst and utility players: Bill Rigney, Daryl Spencer, Bobby Hofman, and Dusty Rhodes among others.

Decent offensive support was provided by Rich Aurilia, Marquis Grissom, Jose Cruz Jr., Edgardo Alfonzo, Benito Santiago, Pedro Feliz and Andres Galarraga.

The team also had a solid but not stellar supporting cast including Marquis Grissom ( 22, 90,. 279 ) and Pedro Feliz ( 22, 84,. 276 ), along with decent showings by Ray Durham, Edgardo Alfonzo, Michael Tucker and AJ Pierzynski.

* April 3 – Gus Grissom, American astronaut ( d. 1967 )

** Apollo 1: U. S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward Higgins White, and Roger Chaffee are killed when fire breaks out in their Apollo spacecraft during a launch pad test.

*** Gus Grissom, American astronaut ( b. 1926 )

Grissom was born in Mitchell, Indiana on April 3, 1926, the second child of Dennis and Cecile King Grissom.

Grissom met and befriended Betty Lavonne Moore at school through their extracurricular activities.

Grissom occasionally spent time at a local airport in Bedford, Indiana where he first became interested in flying.

World War II broke out while Grissom was still in high school, and he was eager to enlist upon graduation.

As the war neared its end, Grissom sought to be discharged.

Bill for partial payment of his school tuition, Grissom enrolled at Purdue University in September 1946.

Grissom took summer classes to finish early and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1950.