Charles Lindbergh

On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from New York in his single-engine plane, The Spirit of St. Louis. He landed thirty-six hours later in Paris and was greeted by 100,000 wildly cheering Frenchmen. The shy Lindbergh brought letters of introduction to claim his prize for the first solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris. His instant fame in Europe grew into tumultuous celebrations in the United States, where millions cheered him, and he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. So began America's infatuation with "Lucky Lindy." Later, in the dark days before World War II, Lindbergh's admiration for German efficiency and industry, and his campaign against America's entry into the war, could not fully dim his luster. The "lone eagle's" battle with the elements and the machine struck a chord in America's psyche that still reverberates today.