This Week's Essay: Charles Augustus Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902 to Charles Augustus Lindbergh Sr., a lawyer and U.S. congressman, and Evangeline Lodge Land. They lived on a farm in Minnesota. When he was eighteen, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin. He was studying engineering, but he was more interested in aviation so he left and became a stunt pilot. Lindbergh enlisted in 1924 to be trained as an Army Air Service Reserve Pilot and he graduated in 1925. He graduated in 1925, best in the class.
In 1919, Raymond Orteig, a hotel owner in New York, offered 25,000 (the equivalent to 300,000 dollars in today’s economy) dollars to the first pilot to fly nonstop from New York to Paris; a transatlantic journey. It still hadn’t been achieved in 1927 but several aviators, engineers, mechanics, and radio operators had been wounded, some even killed, in the competition. Charles Lindbergh thought that he had the potential to win, if he only had the right plane. He was sponsored by a few St. Louis businessmen and, with the help of Ryan Aeronautical Company, designed and manufactured The Spirit of St. Louis. On May tenth Lindbergh set out on a test flight from San Diego to New York. Even with an overnight stop in St. Louis, he set a transcontinental record of 20 hours and 21 minutes.
The time had come for him to claim the Orteig Prize. The young aviator lifted off from Roosevelt Field at 7:52 a.m. (New York time) on May 20 and, 34 hours later, landed on the Le Bourget Field at 5:21 p.m. (New York time) on May 21. A crowd of thousands was gathered to meet him after his 3,600 mile journey. His iconic flight thrilled the world. He even published a book about it the same year. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Charles Lindbergh symbolized symbolized the “I can do anything.” attitude that the 20’s admired. He was confident, dynamic, and ready to show off what new technology could do.
His big flight was what made him a notable American, but he didn’t disappear. After his flight, Lindbergh stayed involved with America’s politics. He flew for the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, encouraged rocket research, and went on a nationwide tour sponsored by the Guggenheims. His biography on charleslindbergh.com says, “He touched down in 49 states, visited 92 cities, gave 147 speeches, and rode 1,290 miles in parades.” He also traveled internationaly. Our government asked him to visit Latin-American countries to symbolize brotherhood. He married the daughter of Dwight W. Morrow, the Mexican ambassador to America, in 1929. This was another patriotic aspect he represented; unity in the Americas. Anne Morrow and Lindbergh became a dynamic icon. He taught her to fly, took her on expeditions, and charted new routes with her. Anne was also famous for her writing and poetry. Between 1931 and 1935, Lindbergh developed an artificial heart for french surgeon Alexis Carrel that could keep tissue nourished outside the body. He was a genius!
Charles Lindbergh, like all American icons, has some dark history as well. In March of 1932, Anne and Charles’ 20 month old son, Charles Lindbergh Jr., was kidnapped from their home while being watched by the nanny. A ladder was in the nursery window and a ransom note demanding $50,000 was found on the window sill. Ten weeks later, his body was found and Bruno Hauptmann was convicted with murder in 1935 and then executed in 1936. Congress then passed the “Lindbergh Law,” which states that kidnapping is a federal offense if the victim crosses state lines or if the mail is used for ransom demands. The press, photographers, and bystanders bombarded the Lindberghs ceaselessly because of the tragedy, causing them to flee to Europe with their three year old son, Jon, to find peace and quiet.
The French and German governments invited Lindbergh to tour their aircraft industries and he was impressed by the advanced Nazi Germany aircraft. A Nazi official, Hermann Goering, even presented him with a metal of honor. Critics of Nazism in the U.S. were outraged, but Lindbergh couldn’t have known of their violence yet. Two years later, the Lindberghs returned to America. There, Charles became a leading spokesmen for the America First Committee and openly opposed American participation in WWII, criticized Roosevelt’s foreign policies, and accused British, Jewish, and pro-Roosevelt groups of leading the U.S. to war. Then Roosevelt publicly denounced Lindbergh, causing him to resign his position in the Army Air Corps.
Many Americans placed Lindbergh among Nazi sympathizers because of his refusal to return his medal. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, however, Lindbergh quit the uninvolvment movement and attempted to re-enlist. His request was refused, so he worked for the Ford Motor Company and United Aircraft Corporation as a testing pilot and technical advisor. He helped develop cruise control techniques for U.S. fighter planes. In April of 1944 Lindbergh was shipped, as an advisor to the Army and Navy, to the Pacific war area, where he flew about 50 combat missions as a civilian.
Lindbergh finally withdrew from the public eye after WWII, working as chief consultant to the staff of the Air Force. President Eisenhower restored his commission and made him a brigadier general in 1954. He was also a consultant for Pan American World Airways, advised it’s purchase of transport jets, and helped design the Boeing 747. He published The Spirit of St. Louis in 1953. It was a more in depth description of his 1927 flight and it won a Pulitzer Prize. During his time of silence he traveled to Africa and the Philippines. He ended his years of silence to campaign for conservation and the protection of whales. He opposed supersonic jets because of the possible environmental impact. On August 26, 1974, Lindbergh died of cancer in his house on Maui. He was buried in Hawaii on the Palapala Ho’omau Church grounds.
1013 words 5969 characters
Works Cited:
“Charles Lindbergh Biography.”Charles Lindbergh Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jun. 2015. <http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/index.asp>
In 1919, Raymond Orteig, a hotel owner in New York, offered 25,000 (the equivalent to 300,000 dollars in today’s economy) dollars to the first pilot to fly nonstop from New York to Paris; a transatlantic journey. It still hadn’t been achieved in 1927 but several aviators, engineers, mechanics, and radio operators had been wounded, some even killed, in the competition. Charles Lindbergh thought that he had the potential to win, if he only had the right plane. He was sponsored by a few St. Louis businessmen and, with the help of Ryan Aeronautical Company, designed and manufactured The Spirit of St. Louis. On May tenth Lindbergh set out on a test flight from San Diego to New York. Even with an overnight stop in St. Louis, he set a transcontinental record of 20 hours and 21 minutes.
The time had come for him to claim the Orteig Prize. The young aviator lifted off from Roosevelt Field at 7:52 a.m. (New York time) on May 20 and, 34 hours later, landed on the Le Bourget Field at 5:21 p.m. (New York time) on May 21. A crowd of thousands was gathered to meet him after his 3,600 mile journey. His iconic flight thrilled the world. He even published a book about it the same year. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Charles Lindbergh symbolized symbolized the “I can do anything.” attitude that the 20’s admired. He was confident, dynamic, and ready to show off what new technology could do.
His big flight was what made him a notable American, but he didn’t disappear. After his flight, Lindbergh stayed involved with America’s politics. He flew for the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, encouraged rocket research, and went on a nationwide tour sponsored by the Guggenheims. His biography on charleslindbergh.com says, “He touched down in 49 states, visited 92 cities, gave 147 speeches, and rode 1,290 miles in parades.” He also traveled internationaly. Our government asked him to visit Latin-American countries to symbolize brotherhood. He married the daughter of Dwight W. Morrow, the Mexican ambassador to America, in 1929. This was another patriotic aspect he represented; unity in the Americas. Anne Morrow and Lindbergh became a dynamic icon. He taught her to fly, took her on expeditions, and charted new routes with her. Anne was also famous for her writing and poetry. Between 1931 and 1935, Lindbergh developed an artificial heart for french surgeon Alexis Carrel that could keep tissue nourished outside the body. He was a genius!
Charles Lindbergh, like all American icons, has some dark history as well. In March of 1932, Anne and Charles’ 20 month old son, Charles Lindbergh Jr., was kidnapped from their home while being watched by the nanny. A ladder was in the nursery window and a ransom note demanding $50,000 was found on the window sill. Ten weeks later, his body was found and Bruno Hauptmann was convicted with murder in 1935 and then executed in 1936. Congress then passed the “Lindbergh Law,” which states that kidnapping is a federal offense if the victim crosses state lines or if the mail is used for ransom demands. The press, photographers, and bystanders bombarded the Lindberghs ceaselessly because of the tragedy, causing them to flee to Europe with their three year old son, Jon, to find peace and quiet.
The French and German governments invited Lindbergh to tour their aircraft industries and he was impressed by the advanced Nazi Germany aircraft. A Nazi official, Hermann Goering, even presented him with a metal of honor. Critics of Nazism in the U.S. were outraged, but Lindbergh couldn’t have known of their violence yet. Two years later, the Lindberghs returned to America. There, Charles became a leading spokesmen for the America First Committee and openly opposed American participation in WWII, criticized Roosevelt’s foreign policies, and accused British, Jewish, and pro-Roosevelt groups of leading the U.S. to war. Then Roosevelt publicly denounced Lindbergh, causing him to resign his position in the Army Air Corps.
Many Americans placed Lindbergh among Nazi sympathizers because of his refusal to return his medal. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, however, Lindbergh quit the uninvolvment movement and attempted to re-enlist. His request was refused, so he worked for the Ford Motor Company and United Aircraft Corporation as a testing pilot and technical advisor. He helped develop cruise control techniques for U.S. fighter planes. In April of 1944 Lindbergh was shipped, as an advisor to the Army and Navy, to the Pacific war area, where he flew about 50 combat missions as a civilian.
Lindbergh finally withdrew from the public eye after WWII, working as chief consultant to the staff of the Air Force. President Eisenhower restored his commission and made him a brigadier general in 1954. He was also a consultant for Pan American World Airways, advised it’s purchase of transport jets, and helped design the Boeing 747. He published The Spirit of St. Louis in 1953. It was a more in depth description of his 1927 flight and it won a Pulitzer Prize. During his time of silence he traveled to Africa and the Philippines. He ended his years of silence to campaign for conservation and the protection of whales. He opposed supersonic jets because of the possible environmental impact. On August 26, 1974, Lindbergh died of cancer in his house on Maui. He was buried in Hawaii on the Palapala Ho’omau Church grounds.
1013 words 5969 characters
Works Cited:
“Charles Lindbergh Biography.”Charles Lindbergh Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jun. 2015. <http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/index.asp>