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This Day in History: The 1966 NASA T-38 crash
On this day in 1966, two astronauts are tragically killed as they travel from Houston to St. Louis. Elliot See and Charles Bassett were...
tara
Feb 28, 20223 min read
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...
tara
Feb 27, 20223 min read
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 18, 20223 min read
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 11, 20223 min read
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 10, 20223 min read
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 23, 20224 min read
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 22, 20223 min read
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
Jan 18, 20223 min read
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 29, 20213 min read
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
Dec 17, 20213 min read
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 26, 20213 min read
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 5, 20213 min read
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 24, 20212 min read
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 18, 20213 min read
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
Sep 6, 20213 min read
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
Jul 10, 20213 min read
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 29, 20213 min read
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 27, 20213 min read
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
Jun 24, 20213 min read
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
May 6, 20213 min read
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