May 20 - Day of Historic Transatlantic Flights

On May 20, 1927, twenty-five year old American aviator Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field (near New York City) in the Spirit of St. Louis, a plane he helped design. Thirty-three and a half hours later he landed in Paris a hero. Although other pilots had crossed the Atlantic before him, Lindbergh was the first to do it nonstop. His achievement brought him international fame, and $25,000 in prize money.
Find information on Lindbergh at

• PBS - Lindbergh
• Charles Lindbergh
• PBS - Chasing the Sun
• Time

On May 20, 1932, just 5 years after Lindbergh,  Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She broke several records on this flight: the first woman to fly across the Atlantic solo and the only person to fly it twice...the longest non-stop distance flown by a woman...and a record for crossing in the shortest time. Read more about Amelia Earhart at

• Ellen's Place
• The Official Amelia Earhart site
• Infoplease