The Maker of Pilots: Aviator and Civil Rights Activist Willa Beatrice Brown

Today's post comes from Jennifer Johnson, a curator at the National Archives at Kansas City. Willa Beatrice Brown is featured in the nationwide traveling exhibit One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women. Perhaps one of the less recognizable names, but certainly as noteworthy, she was a woman who achieved great success despite limited … Continue reading The Maker of Pilots: Aviator and Civil Rights Activist Willa Beatrice Brown

1924 round-the-world fliers complete their mission

At 1:28 p.m. on September 28, 1924, two planes landing in Seattle made history. The Chicago and New Orleans had flown 26,345 miles in 66 days to become the first airplanes to circumnavigate the globe. Four planes had started the journey on April 6, but the Seattle and Boston had been forced down over Alaska and … Continue reading 1924 round-the-world fliers complete their mission

Magellans of the Sky

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. In 1924, a group of eight Army airmen set out to be the first humans to ever circle the globe by air. On their journey over Arctic mountain passes and vast Indian deserts, they would lose half their planes and … Continue reading Magellans of the Sky