Origins & Early Life

Frank Frederick Borman II (March 14, 1928 – November 7, 2023) was an American United States Air Force (USAF) colonel, aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut, test pilot, and businessman. He was the commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon, and together with crewmates Jim Lovell and William Anders, became the first of 28 humans to do so, for which he was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Four days before he graduated with the West Point Class of 1950, in which he was ranked eighth out of 670, Borman was commissioned in the USAF. He qualified as a fighter pilot and served in the Philippines.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He earned a Master of Science degree at Caltech in 1957, and then became an assistant professor of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics at West Point. In 1960, he was selected for Class 60-C at the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California and qualified as a test pilot. On graduation, he was accepted as one of five students in the first class at the Aerospace Research Pilot School. Borman was selected as a NASA astronaut with the second group, known as the Next Nine, in 1962. In 1966, he set a fourteen-day spaceflight endurance...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Agnès Varda — Contemporary (Born in 1928) (1928): Pioneering French filmmaker, artist, and documentarian celebrated for her unique vision.
• Alan J. Pakula — Contemporary (Born in 1928) (1928): American film director, writer, and producer known for political thrillers.
• Alexander Bogdanov — Contemporary (Died in 1928) (1928): Polymath philosopher, pioneer of blood transfusion, and key Bolshevik revolutionary.
• Alan Arkin — Contemporary (Died in 2023) (2023): Esteemed American actor, filmmaker, and musician with a seven-decade career.
• Ama Ata Aidoo — Contemporary (Died in 2023) (2023): Pioneering Ghanaian writer, poet, and academician celebrated for feminist themes.
• B. V. Doshi — Contemporary (Died in 2023) (2023): Pioneering Indian architect celebrated for modernist and brutalist design.
• Aamir Khan — Shared historical date (03-14 · Born) (1965): Iconic Indian actor and filmmaker, known for his dedication to cinematic perfection.
• Albert Einstein — Shared historical date (03-14 · Born) (1879): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for the theory of relativity and E=mc2.
• Albert Camus — Shared historical date (11-07 · Born) (1913): Philosopher and writer known for Absurdism, The Stranger, and The Plague.
• Alexander Dubček — Shared historical date (11-07 · Died) (1992): Slovak statesman known for leading the Prague Spring and advocating 'Socialism with a human face'.
• 1928 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1928
• March 14 (03-14) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on March 14
• 2023 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2023
• November 7 (11-07) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on November 7