This Day in History: The first U.S. Navy aviator
On this day in 1885, Theodore “Spuds” Ellyson is born. Exactly 43 years later, he would be tragically killed—on his birthday. He was the...
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tara
- Feb 18, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: The Space Shuttle Enterprise
On this day in 1977, the Space Shuttle Enterprise makes its maiden flight atop a modified Boeing 747. Did you know that NASA built an...
tara
- Feb 11, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: The lost story of Lady Be Good
On this day in 1960, a British oil exploration team makes an unexpected discovery, helping to solve an old World War II mystery. What...
tara
- Feb 10, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: Louis Curdes's unusual Air Medal
On this day in 1945, USAAF Captain Louis E. Curdes shoots down an American C-47, forcing it to crash land in the ocean. Legend has it...
tara
- Feb 1, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: The Space Shuttle Columbia explodes
On this day in 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia explodes above the skies of Texas. Columbia had once been the first space shuttle to...
tara
- Jan 23, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: Captain Sully's Miracle
On this day in 1951, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is born. Captain Sully is best known for successfully crash landing an airplane in the...
tara
- Jan 22, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan's trans-Atlantic flight
On this day in 1907, Douglas Corrigan is born. He would earn the nickname “Wrong Way” Corrigan because of an accidental 1938 flight...
tara
- Jan 18, 2022
- 3 min
This Day in History: Glenn L. Martin, an early aviation hero, is born
On this day in 1886, Glenn L. Martin is born. He’s possibly the biggest aviation hero that you’ve never heard of. He is the “Martin” in...
tara
- Dec 29, 2021
- 3 min
This Day in History: Eastern Airlines Flight 401
On this day in 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashes in the Everglades. The jumbo jet had been making a late evening flight from New...
tara
- Dec 17, 2021
- 3 min
This Day in History: The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
On this day in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first sustained, powered flight of a heavier-than-air machine under the complete...
tara
- Oct 26, 2021
- 3 min
This Day in History: WWII Pilot Gertrude Tompkins
On this day in 1944, an elite American female pilot climbs into a P-51D Mustang fighter. Gertrude Tompkins Silver was tasked with...
tara
- Oct 14, 2021
- 3 min
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...
tara
- Oct 5, 2021
- 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
- Sep 30, 2021
- 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, 2021
- 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, 2021
- 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 6, 2021
- 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
- Jul 20, 2021
- 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, 2021
- 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, 2021
- 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...
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