From London’s Heathrow Airport and Orly Airport outside Paris,
the first Concordes with commercial passengers simultaneously
take flight on January 21, 1976. The London flight was headed to
Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, and the Paris to Rio de Janeiro via
Senegal in West Africa. At their cruising speeds, the innovative Concordes flew well over the sound barrier at 1,350 miles an
hour, cutting air travel time by more than half.

   
Amelia Earhart is shown on Jan. 12, 1935, after the first
Hawaii-to-California flight. She was the first pilot to
succeed at flying the route.

(FOX NEWS) – Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart departed on a
journey to become the first pilot to successfully fly solo from
Hawaii to mainland United States on this day in history, Jan.
11, 1935. 

The daring flight across a vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean
had claimed the lives of 10 previous aviators. She earned
$10,000 from promoters in Hawaii for her death-defying
achievement.

Earhart also hoped to promote a future in which commercial
air travel closed the distances around the world. 

Hawaii celebrates the great aviator.

  
 Nancy Kerrigan                             Tonya Harding
  
 

Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at a Detroit
ice rink following a practice session two days before the
Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back
of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment.

When the full story emerged a week later, the nation became
caught up in a real-life soap opera.

One of Kerrigan’s chief rivals for a place on the U.S. Figure
Skating Team was Tonya Harding. 

In mid-December 1993, Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly,
approached Shawn Eckardt about somehow eliminating
Kerrigan from the competition. Eckardt set up a meeting
with Derrick Smith and Shane Stant, who agreed to injure
Kerrigan for a fee.          

MIKE GRACIA

The Hughes Flying Boat—at one time the largest aircraft ever built—
is piloted by designer Howard Hughes on its first and only flight.

The  aircraft is on display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum located in McMinnville, Oregon.