Lindbergh Soars Solo: The First Transatlantic Flight
Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis cleared a muddy runway by twenty feet to conquer the Atlantic in 33.5 hours, landing at an unmarked Paris airfield surrounded by 150,000 frenzied spectators. A mob dragged him from the cockpit and carried him aloft for half an hour before French military fliers rescued both pilot and plane. This chaotic reception instantly transformed a little-known U.S. Air Mail pilot into a global celebrity, forever altering his life and aviation history.
May 21, 1927
99 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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