We had a terrific talk the other evening about Sir John William Frederick Herschel by Flamsteed member Roy Hookway. An absolutely riveting presentation about someone who was revered in his day - to the extent that he was given the honour of a burial within Westminster Abbey - but I'll confess I've never really heard of him before.
During the course of poking about the internet looking for more information, I discovered that astronaut John Glenn's middle name was Herschel. So was his father's, but I can't find out if that is a family name going back generations or if John H Glenn Sr was named after Herschel (father or son) or if there's no connection and he's named after someone (or something) else entirely.
Anyone know?