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Charles Lindbergh
Col Charles Lindbergh.jpg
Photo by Harris & Ewing
Born
Charles Augustus Lindbergh

(1902-02-04)February 4, 1902
Died August 26, 1974(1974-08-26) (aged 72)
Resting place Palapala Ho'omau Church, Kipahulu, Maui, Hawaii
Nationality  United States of America
Other names
  • Lucky Lindy
  • Lone Eagle
  • Slim
Education Sidwell Friends School
Redondo Union High School
Little Falls High School
University of Wisconsin–Madison (did not graduate)
Occupation Aviator, author, inventor, explorer, activist
Known for First solo transatlantic flight (1927)
Home town Little Falls, Minnesota
Spouse(s) Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1929–1974) (his death)
Children With Anne Morrow Lindbergh:
Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr.
Jon Lindbergh
Land Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Spencer Lindbergh (Perrin)
Scott Lindbergh
Reeve Lindbergh (Brown)
With Brigitte Hesshaimer:
Dyrk Hesshaimer
Astrid Hesshaimer Bouteuil
David Hesshaimer
With Marietta Hesshaimer:
Vago Hesshaimer
Christoph Hesshaimer.
With Valeska (surname unknown):
a son (name unknown)
a daughter (name unknown)
Parent(s) Charles August Lindbergh
Evangeline Lodge Land Lindbergh
Military career
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch USAAC Roundel 1919-1941.svg United States Army Air Corps
US Army Air Corps Hap Arnold Wings.svg United States Army Air Forces
Seal of the US Air Force.svg United States Air Force
Years of service 1925–1941, 1954–1974
Rank US-O7 insignia.svg Brigadier General
Awards Medal of Honor (1927)
Distinguished Flying Cross (1927)
Congressional Gold Medal (1928)
Signature Charles A. Lindbergh (Jr) signatures.jpg

Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), known as "Lucky Lindy" and "The Lone Eagle", was a pioneering United States airplane pilot. He became famous for making the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

Early life

Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were Swedish immigrants. He grew up in Little Falls, Minnesota. His father, Charles August Lindbergh, was a lawyer and later a U.S. congressman, who was against the United States entering into World War I. His mother was a teacher. While he was young, he was interested in machines. In 1922 he joined a pilot training program with Nebraska Aircraft, bought his own airplane, and became a stunt pilot. In 1924, he started training as a pilot with the United States Army Air Corps.

After finishing first in his class, Lindbergh took his first job as pilot of an airmail route in St. Louis. He flew the mail in an airplane.

In April 1923, while visiting friends in Lake Village, Arkansas, Lindbergh made his first ever flight over Lake Village and Lake Chicot.

First solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean

Lindbergh gained fame around the world as the first pilot to fly solo (alone) and non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew from Roosevelt Airfield (Nassau County, Long Island), New York, USA to Paris, France on May 20-21, 1927 in his single-engine airplane The Spirit of St. Louis. He needed 33.5 hours for the trip. When he arrived back in the United States, many warships and aircraft escorted him to Washington, D.C. where President Calvin Coolidge gave him the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Lindbergh's act won him the Orteig Prize, which was 25,000 US dollars. A parade was held for him on 5th Avenue in New York City on June 13, 1927.[1] At the end of the year, he was named Time's first Man of the Year.

He served on a variety of national and international boards and committees, including the central committee of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in the United States.

Later life

Lindbergh married Anne Morrow in 1929. He died of lymphoma on August 26, 1974 in Hawaii.

Legacy

Lindbergh is honored in aviation for mapping out polar air-routes, flying at high altitudes, and decreasing fuel use.

Lindbergh's legacy is, in part, his unique solo flight which changed public opinion about the value and significance of aircraft and air travel. In greater part, his legacy developed from what he did with his status and fame. He used his celebrity to advance aviation across the world.

A developing Lindbergh legacy is in life sciences.

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