President John F. Kennedy (left), John Glenn and General Leighton I. Davis ride together during a parade in Cocoa Beach, Florida after Glenn's historic first U.S. human orbital spacefight.  Glenn returned to a hero’s welcome, including parades in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. His flight meant that the United States could finally compete with Soviet successes in the Cold War space race.