аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

Charles Lindbergh photo by Harris & Ewing-

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Charles Lindbergh

Charles Augustus Lindbergh, the American pilot, was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. He lived 72 years and died on August 26, 1974.

His parents were Swedish immigrants. Lindbergh Sr. (Charles’s father) was a lawyer but later became a U.S. Congressman. Evangeline Lodge Land, his mother, was a Chemistry teacher.

Charles Lindbergh is famous for his striking accomplishment as an American aviator. Having flown non-stop, solo, across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris. In 1927, Lindbergh who was 25 years became famous and a celebrity with global recognition following his lone flight.

Lindbergh’s nicknames were Lone Eagle, Slim, and Lucky Lindy. His son was kidnapped and later found dead on May 12, 1932. Besides aviation, Charles served in the military, authored books, made inventions, and became a nature lover.

Get to know the Lone Eagle, Charles Lindberg’s most fascinating reality in this; Top 10 Interesting Certainties about Charles Lindbergh.

1. Charles Lindberg flew to fame solo

The cowling of the Spirit of St. Louis plane by Rob Shenk-

The young aviator at 25 years proved his exciting certitude in the field when he succeeded in flying non-stop solo in May 1927. Lindbergh took 33.5 hours to cover 3600 miles(5800 km) from New York to Paris. His transatlantic flight success saw him become an overnight global hero.

He received numerous awards among them the popular Orteig Prize of $25000. Raymond Orteig, a  French hotelier had offered a $25000 prize to any pilot that successfully flew from New York to Paris. Lindbergh was not the first to eye the Orteig Prize.

The challenge had been taken by Captain Charles Nungesser and Raymond Coli who were the first unsuccessful participants. The duo took off on May 8, 1927, in the L’Oiseau Blanc on a westbound flight. After crossing the Ireland coast, they made no more contacts and their aircraft disappeared.

Other participants were Rene Fonck (French), Clarence Chamberlin, and Admiral Richard E. Byrd (both American). Only Charles Lindberg dared go for the prize as the lone eagle-(as he was commonly known) and yet was he successful.

2. Charles Lindberg lightened his flight with a sandwich

Charles’s compelling certainty in aviation led him to customize his plane to include more space for fuel. Thus, he cut on airline food by carrying a tuna sandwich and a hot tea vacuum bottle on his solo flight, in a bid to make the plane less weighty. This inspired books such as never would Lindberg have made it to Paris if he ate airline food, written by a historian.

Later, it thrilled JetBlue, an upstart airline, to allow passengers to carry their food instead of feeding them airline food. David Neelema as JetBlue’s CEO eyed 30 cents savings per ticket.

David thought the idea was brilliant to the extent he called his Marketing Director at midnight to propose what he found reading a book that explained Lindbergh took his food on the plane to make it less weighty.

3. The Lone Eagle, Charles Lindbergh ditched college to soar to the skies

Charles Lindbergh Graduation photo by the United States Air Force Photograph-

In February 1922, Lindbergh’s fascination with flying saw him quit mechanical engineering at college. He then enrolled at a Lincoln flying school, the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation’s aviation school.

4. Charles Lindbergh was a victim of the case of the century

Lindbergh lost his son to kidnappers, a case that was termed the case of the century. Lindbergh junior (Jr.) Was kidnapped in 1932 on the first day of March. The child’s remains were found on May 12, 1922, in woods near Lindbergh’s home, Highfields, East Amwell, New Jersey.

The abductors were given a ransom of $50000 on April 2, 1932, which included serialized bills. These serial numbers aided in the arrest of 34-year-old Richard Hauptmann who used one of the serial bills to buy gasoline, which led to his arrest on 19^th  September 1934. 

The kidnapper was tried for murder, extortion, and kidnapping. Later convicted with a death sentence and was electrocuted on April 3, 1936, at Trenton State Prison.

5. Lindbergh had his wife as co-pilot

Charles Lindbergh with his wife is welcomed in Japan-

Charles married Anne Morrow (daughter of Lindbergh’s financial advisor and U.S. ambassador to Mexico). Lindbergh and Anne got married on May 27, 1929, in New Jersey, Englewood, Morrow Estate. They had six children, and Lindbergh taught Anne how to fly. Thus, they together went on air route explorations and charting.

6. Charles Lindbergh received the Medal of Honor award at 25 years

Legion of Honor medal, awarded to Charles Lindbergh in 1927 Photo by Robert Lawton-

To honor his heroic act of flying solo, non-stop from New York to Paris, the medal of honor was handy. This was an award by the Special Act of Congress on December 14, 1927. It was presented to Lindbergh on March 21, 1928, at the White House by President Coolidge.

7. The overnight millionaire; Charles Lindbergh

The Orteig Prize($25000) won by Charles after his transatlantic flight success, made Lindbergh an instantaneous millionaire.

8. Charles Lindbergh invented the perfusion pump (artificial heart)

When Anne’s (Charles’s wife) elder sister was diagnosed with severe heart disease, Lindbergh’s innovation actualities were revealed. Charles worked with Nobel Prize scientist Alexis Carrel. In 1935, Lindbergh designed the perfusion pump. An 18-inch-high hand-blown, clear Pyrex glass, that kept organs outside the body functioning.

9. Charles Lindbergh had hallucinations on his lone flight

Due to fatigue and the bad weather challenges of the Atlantic, as well as trying to stay awake, Lindbergh admitted hallucinating and seeing mirages during his transatlantic flight.

10. Lindbergh’s flight to conservation

Charles Lindbergh’s later years were spent as an environmentalist, traveling different parts of the world on a conservation mission. He was a World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) member. Lindbergh used his influence to protect species and habitats threatened with extinction. He also fought to protect marginalized communities in the Philippines and Africa.

Charles Lindbergh, the aviation hero, was a high-flyer his entire life. In his early years, he soared the skies as well as in the military. His middle age years were given to inventions and authoring. Charles Lindbergh in his final years flew for the environment.