When the Lone Eagle Became a Phoenix

In this installment of ‘When Character Counted,’ we learn that Charles Lindbergh demonstrated his love of country at the risk of his life.
When the Lone Eagle Became a Phoenix
American aviator Charles Lindbergh (1902–1974) poses next to his airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, in May 1927. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Jeff Minick
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On any average day this year, approximately 1,800 flights will cross the North Atlantic Ocean. Back and forth the aircraft fly, carrying passengers, cargo, and military personnel.
A hundred years ago, that sky was empty of everything but clouds and birds. Though a few other aviators had flown across that ocean between Europe and North America—some had died in the attempt—Charles Lindbergh (1902–1974) boarded the Spirit of St. Louis in New York City on May 20, 1927 and landed less than 34 hours later in Paris. He completed the first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic. That achievement brought both him and the possibilities of long-distance air travel worldwide acclaim. The 25-year-old American was praised almost as much for his modesty as his daring.
Jeff Minick
Jeff Minick
Author
Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C. He is the author of two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust on Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning as I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va.