Which astronaut made history by being the first American in space?

Alan Shepard made history as the first American to travel into space on May 5, 1961, during the suborbital flight of the Mercury-Redstone 3 mission, famously known as Freedom 7. This flight lasted about 15 minutes and reached an altitude of approximately 116 miles, demonstrating that the United States could send a human into space at a time when the space race was a significant global focus.

The mission marked a crucial point in American space exploration and laid the groundwork for future manned spaceflights. It was a bold step that helped boost national morale and has remained a pivotal moment in the history of human space exploration. Other astronauts mentioned, while significant in their missions and contributions, did not achieve this particular milestone as the first American in space.