At 7:52 a.m., American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh took off
from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on the world’s
first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean and the first
ever nonstop flight between New York to Paris.
Lindbergh, a young airmail pilot, was a dark horse when he
entered a competition with a $25,000 payoff to fly nonstop
from New York to Paris. He ordered a small monoplane,
configured it to his own design, and christened it the Spirit
of St. Louis in tribute to his sponsor–the St. Louis Chamber
of Commerce.
The next afternoon, after flying 3,610 miles in 33 1/2 hours,
Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget field in Paris, becoming the
first pilot to accomplish the solo, nonstop transatlantic crossing.
Lindbergh’s achievement made him an international celebrity
and won widespread public acceptance of the airplane and
commercial aviation.







