Sheridan Wins Battle of Five Forks
On April 1, 1865, Philip Sheridan earned a key Union victory at the Battle of Five Forks. On April 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower created the Air Force Academy to train officers.
Air Force
Formation of Tuskegee Airmen
On March 19, 1941, the War Department ordered the creation of the the 99th Pursuit Squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Battle of Britain Ends
On October 31, 1940, the nearly four-month-long Battle of Britain came to an end.
First Flight of the B-17 Flying Fortress
On July 28, 1935, Boeing’s Model 299, as it was called at the time, embarked on its first flight from a Seattle airfield. The plane would go on to be one of the most famous used during World War II.
First Women Inducted into the U.S. Air Force
Staff Sergeant Esther McGowin Blake raised her right hand and enlisted in the first minute women were allowed to join the U.S. Air Force on July 8, 1948. In doing so, she paved the way for a new generation of women’s military service.