Happy Birthday Chuck Yeager
The first person to break the sound barrier, Chuck Yeager was born on February 13, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia. He was also a WWII dogfighter and commanded fighter squadrons in Vietnam.
Flight
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Happy Birthday Lucky Lindy!
Aviation pioneer Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean and helped to promote and expand aviation and airmail.
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America’s First Airmail Coil Stamp
The first US Airmail coil stamp was issued on January 15, 1948, in Washington, DC. Only a few more coil stamps would be issued over the next 30 years, but the DC-4 SkyMaster would appear on more than a dozen postal items.
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China Clipper Inaugurates Trans-Pacific Airmail
On November 22, 1935, the China Clipper made its first airmail voyage across the Pacific Ocean. The first-ever transpacific airmail journey, it carried over 110,000 pieces of mail.
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Birth of Richard Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd was born on October 25, 1888, in Winchester, Virginia. Byrd led three Antarctic expeditions and was the US Navy’s youngest admiral at the time.
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First Supersonic Flight
On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier. He reached a speed of 700 miles per hour and accelerated past Mach 1 – the speed of sound.
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Happy Birthday, Fast Eddie!
Eddie Vernon Rickenbacker was born on October 8, 1890, in Columbus, Ohio. He was America’s leading ace during World War I, with 26 enemy planes shot down.
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NASA Unveils Enterprise
On September 17, 1976, America’s first space shuttle, the Enterprise, made its debut public appearance.
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Birth of Claire Chennault
Claire Lee Chennault was born on September 6, 1890, in Commerce, Texas. He formed and led the Flying Tigers during World War II.
