Aviation

On March 22, 1941, James Stewart was inducted into the US Army, making him the first major US movie star to don a military uniform during World War II.

On February 22, 1921, experimental overnight transcontinental airmail flights between San Francisco and New York were launched. Despite a rocky start, the flights were a resounding success, earning support and funding for expanded service.

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. An aviation pioneer, he made the first successful non-stop flight across the Atlantic and contributed to the war effort in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Aviator Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas.  The first female African American aviator, she achieved her dream of becoming a pilot during a time when most African Americans would not have even considered learning to fly.

On December 17, 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first successful heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

On December 1, 1941, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), was established in Washington, DC. Unpaid volunteers formed the Civil Air Patrol, using privately owned aircraft and their own funds to support the military.

Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr was born on November 18, 1923, in Derry, New Hampshire. He was the first American (second person after Yuri Gagarin) to travel into space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon.

On July 23, 1973, Eddie Rickenbacker died in Züruch, Switzerland. As a World War I flying ace, he shot down 22 enemy planes and four balloons.

General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold was born on June 25, 1886, in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. He was an early supporter of military air power, and later became the Air Force’s first five-star general.