81 years ago today, Charles A. Lindbergh was catapulted
from obscurity to being the most famous person on the planet. By becoming the
first person to fly solo across
the Atlantic Ocean, Lindbergh went from an airmail pilot who'd
taken his first flying lessons only five years before to a celebrity beyond
all others.
In an era when any starlet
can grab headlines simply by neglecting to wear underwear, it's hard to
fathom just how famous Lindbergh was. 100,000 Parisians turned out just to see his plane land. Four million New
Yorkers attended his ticker-tape
parade.
Songs
were written about him.
He was Time Magazine's first Man of the Year. A dance (the "Lindy
Hop") was named after him. He
was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Ultimately, an estimated
30 million Americans (out of a population of less than 150 million) welcomed
the "Lone Eagle" home.
But not every fairy tale has a happy ending, and Lindbergh's story had more
downs than ups. His first child, Charles Jr., was kidnapped
and murdered, an act which lead him into seclusion. He did make appearances,
though; some of which were unfortunate for his reputation.
On trips to Nazi Germany,
he made remarks that many took
to be anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler; impressions later reinforced by his
involvement with the America First Committee, which opposed American involvement in World War II.
Lindbergh tried to re-enlist after Pearl Harbor, but his actions had so
alienated President Franklin D. Roosevelt that his pleas were turned down (though he eventually
flew on combat missions -- albeit as a civilian). After the war, he worked as an airline
executive,
and won renown for his work in aeronautical engineering and environmentalism.
Fittingly for an engineer who was famous for flying solo and living in
seclusion, Lindbergh designed both his own grave and coffin and is buried alone under a plum
tree on Maui.
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