America's first human spaceflight occurred on May 5, 1961, when astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the Mercury-Redstone 3 space vehicle. This historic event marked the beginning of the country's human spaceflight program. The launch paved the way for future space exploration and milestones in American space history.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/s61-01908orig/