This Day in History: Chuck Yeager's supersonic flight
On this day in 1947, a United States Air Force pilot becomes the first person to break the sound barrier. Chuck Yeager was a World War II...
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tara
- Oct 5
- 3 min
This Day in History: The nearly forgotten story of Apollo 12
On this day in 1929, a future astronaut is born. Richard “Dick” Gordon, Jr. was aboard Apollo 12 when that spacecraft was struck by...
tara
- Oct 1
- 3 min
This Day in History: Aviation pioneer Jerrie Mock
On this day in 2014, aviation pioneer Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock passes away. She is best known for her 1964 solo trip around the world—the...
tara
- Sep 24
- 2 min
This Day in History: Jimmy Doolittle & the first blind flight
On this day in 1929, renowned aviator Jimmy Doolittle completes the first blind flight. Today, airplanes make instrument landings all the...
tara
- Sep 18
- 3 min
This Day in History: Joseph Kittinger, the Man Who Fell From Space
On this day in 1984, retired Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger completes a solo balloon flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The trip was...
tara
- Sep 7
- 3 min
This Day in History: Calvin Spann, Tuskegee Airman
On this day in 2015, Lt. Calvin J. Spann passes away at the age of 90. Decades earlier, he’d been one of the original members of the...
tara
- Aug 18
- 3 min
This Day in History: The first trans-Atlantic crossing in a balloon
On this day in 1978, three Americans land a helium gas balloon, Double Eagle II, in France. They’d just become the first to cross the...
tara
- Jul 20
- 3 min
This Day in History: Neil Armstrong steps onto the moon
On this day in 1969, Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon. Americans had won a “space race” to get there. We’d...
tara
- Jul 10
- 3 min
This Day in History: Howard Hughes flies around the world
On this day in 1938, Howard Hughes nears the end of his flight around the world. He wasn’t the first to make such a flight, but he was...
tara
- Jun 29
- 3 min
This Day in History: Amelia Earhart’s final flight
On this day in 1937, Amelia Earhart lands her twin-engine airplane in New Guinea. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were attempting to...
tara
- Jun 27
- 3 min
This Day in History: The U.S. Army Air Service & the first midair refueling
On this day in 1923, two biplanes conduct the first successful midair refueling. Well, sort of. They made the first midair transfer using...
tara
- Jun 24
- 3 min
This Day in History: The first American to fly
On this day in 1784, the first American “aviator” takes to the skies. Would you believe that this individual was none other than a...
tara
- May 6
- 3 min
This Day in History: The Hindenburg’s tragic last trip
On this day in 1937, the Hindenburg catches fire and crashes in New Jersey. Somewhat ironically, the airship was then celebrating the one...
tara
- Apr 16
- 3 min
This Day in History: Harriet Quimby, the woman who inspired Amelia Earhart
On this day in 1912, Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel. Perhaps she’s the most famous female...
tara
- Mar 10
- 3 min
This Day in History: “Pardo’s Push” saves a pilot
On this day in 1967, a United States Air Force pilot risks his life to save his wingman. Captain John R. “Bob” Pardo would try an...
tara
- Feb 9
- 3 min
This Day in History: Apollo 14 returns from the moon
On this day in 1971, the crew of Apollo 14 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean. The astronauts had just become the third NASA crew to walk...
tara
- Jan 26
- 3 min
This Day in History: Bessie Coleman, First Licensed Black Aviator
On this day in 1892, Bessie Coleman is born to a poor sharecropping family in Atlanta, Texas. She would later become the first black...
tara
- Jan 13
- 3 min
This Day in History: A Boeing 737 crashes into the Potomac
On this day in 1982, a Boeing 737 crashes into the icy waters of the Potomac. Air Florida Flight 90 had stalled during takeoff, then...
tara
- Jan 9
- 3 min
This Day in History: George Washington, patron of aviation pioneers?
On this day in 1793, the first successful balloon flight is made from American soil. Did you know that President George Washington was in...
tara
- Dec 9, 2020
- 3 min
This Day in History: Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan's trans-Atlantic flight
On this day in 1995, Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan passes away. He is best known for his accidental 1938 flight across the Atlantic in a...