Who is Charles Lindbergh - World's best-known aviator

Ranked #4,996 in Culture & Society, #104,790 overall

On May 21, just after 10:50 p.m., Paris time, Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Airport

The first true American celebrity was neither a politician like Teddy Roosevelt, nor a movie star like Mary Pickford, nor a sportsman like Babe Ruth. While Roosevelt achieved his fame in a few arenas of life, he did so before the advent of radio, and Pickford and Ruth were famous in just one arena.


Instead, the first American celebrity was a flier—Charles A. Lindbergh. After all, he was the son of a multi-term congressman; his trans-Atlantic flight was a stunning feat of technology; he married into a famous political family; his eldest son's kidnapping and murder led to "the trial of the century"; his political fortunes rose and fell and then rose again in the 1940s and 1950s; and in his final decades he became an advocate for one of the late 20th century's most respected causes—environmental conservation.

Charles Lindbergh

Lindbergh took off for Paris

Charles Lindbergh Transatlantic Flight 1927 Vintage Fox News Reel

On May 20, 1927, just after 7:50 a.m., New York time, Lindbergh took off for Paris, barely clearing the trees and power lines at the end of the grass runway. Lindbergh carried with him just five sandwiches, drinking water, some maps and charts, and a few other needed items. Deciding that a parachute would be useless equipment over the Atlantic, he did not carry one.

On May 21, just after 10:50 p.m., Paris time, Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Airport, just south of Paris. Over 150,000 adoring Parisians stormed his airplane,7 forcing the local police to fight them off and escort both Lindbergh and the plane to a hangar for their protection. In a later account of the flight, he described the aftermath of his landing: "The engine log and navigation log of 'The Spirit of St. Louis' were stolen by some member of the crowd . . . ." To create chapter headings for this account, he had to rely on just "performance curves and other records."8

From Le Bourget, Lindbergh was rushed to the home of the American ambassador in downtown Paris and then spent three weeks being wined and dined in France, Great Britain, and other European countries. In the coming days, Lindbergh became the most photographed, most filmed, and most famous living person on earth.

Charles Lindbergh Transatlantic Flight (1927) Fox News Reel
by airboyd | video info

18 ratings | 17,140 views
curated content from YouTube
Loading

A brilliant biography of a fabulous but flawed American hero"

Lindbergh

Amazon Price: $2.10 (as of 05/26/2012)Buy Now
List Price: $18.00
Used Price: $0.01

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for biography.This New York Times

Died on August 26, 1974

In 1964, Lindbergh published an article in Reader's Digest entitled "Is Civilization Progress?" The article asserted that humans can survive and succeed only if we find a way to balance the desire for advancing technology with the need for a livable planet. He also worked to protect tribes in the Philippines and Africa and to protect the humpback whale and blue whale. Along with other conservationists, he opposed development of an American supersonic transport, believing that the high-powered engines needed for such a craft would aggravate air-pollution levels worldwide.

In October of 1972, Lindbergh learned that he had cancer. Despite radiation treatments, the flier died on August 26, 1974. Having settled in Hawaii in the late 1960s, he was buried in the Palapala Ho'omau Church Cemetery, in the village of Kipahulu on the island of Maui.

Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg

Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for biography.This New more...0 points

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis

On May 21, 1927, the world changed. "Lucky Li more...0 points

1/144 DC-3 LINDBERGH LNE MMI14548

1/144 DC-3 LINDBERGH LNE MMI14548

Assemble the TWA Lindbergh Line DC-3 with this 1:1 more...0 points

Biography - Charles and Anne Lindbergh: Alone Together

Biography - Charles and Anne Lindbergh: Alone Together

A detailed portrait of aviation hero and Nazi fan more...0 points

Family Guy Stewie Lindbergh Baby Patch P-FG-0007

Family Guy Stewie Lindbergh Baby Patch P-FG-0007

The Family Guy patch measures approximately 4 inches. more...0 points

1977 LINDBERGH FLIGHT - SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS #1710 Plate Block of 12 x 13 cents US Postage Stamps

1977 LINDBERGH FLIGHT - SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS #1710 Plate Block of 12 x 13 cents US Postage Stamps

In 1977 the USPS celebrated the 50th anniversary o more...0 points

The Case That Never Dies: The Lindbergh Kidnapping by Lloyd C. Gardner

The Case That Never Dies: The Lindbergh Kidnapping by Lloyd C. Gardner

When Charles Lindbergh's baby son was mysteriously more...0 points

"WE": The Daring Flyer's Remarkable Life Story and his Account of the Transatlantic Flight that Shook The World by Charles A Lindbergh, Charles, A Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh will always be remembered for completing more...0 points

Under a Wing: A Memoir (New York Times Notable Books) by Reeve Lindbergh

Under a Wing: A Memoir (New York Times Notable Books) by Reeve Lindbergh

The world knew Charles Lindbergh as a daring aviat more...0 points

Spirit Of St. Louis (American Moments) by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack

Spirit Of St. Louis (American Moments) by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack

The Spirit of St. Louis by Rachel Koestler-Grack0 points

Loading

Text module

Flickr Photos

Loading

by

jeffryv

All photos are Creative Commons commercial use, public domain or used with permission. Totally Free Images - The Ultimate Resource Guide more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!