# 91 years ago today, Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592 "2018-05-21T22:37:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/1 "2018-05-21T22:37:04Z")
And I’m a bit surprised that there is no Google Doodle, nor was there one last year. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/2 "2018-05-21T22:46:27Z")
Probably waiting for the 100-year anniversary… But still pretty amazing. Today tens of thousands of people fly non-stop across the Atlantic every single day of the year without incident or even comment, because it has become so routine. And it all started with one young man piloting a flying gas can all by himself, and there are people living who were born when that happened (albeit most of them were pooping their diapers at the time, so not really understanding what Lindbergh did. Thanks for the historical tidbit. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/3 "2018-05-21T22:53:52Z")
Lindbergh seemed to go out of his way to tarnish his image later in life. Too bad. That might have something to do with so little notice. But yeah, the 100th should be something, I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/4 "2018-05-21T23:20:41Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > And it all started with one young man piloting a flying gas can all by himself, and there are people living who were born when that happened (albeit most of them were pooping their diapers at the time, so not really understanding what Lindbergh did. Although Lindbergh didn’t “start it all.” One of my favorite trivia questions: How many people had flown across the Atlantic before Charles Lindbergh? [The answer is 84.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2084/did-others-fly-across-the-atlantic-before-lindbergh/) The first trans-Atlantic flights, including the first non-stop trip, were made in 1919. Lindbergh’s flight was a landmark in several respects, including longest flight and first solo flight, but it wasn’t even close to the first trans-Atlantic flight. It was an advance, but an incremental one. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/5 "2018-05-22T00:21:29Z")
jeez. I wasn’t even born yet. But the first time I flew in a plane was 72 years ago. Time flies. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/6 "2018-05-22T01:01:56Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > And I’m a bit surprised that there is no Google Doodle, nor was there one last year. Maybe they don’t honor fascists. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/7 "2018-05-22T01:32:06Z")
When it comes to planes, my maternal grandmother was born December 4, 1904, one year to the day after the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk… She almost lived to see the109th anniversary of that flight. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/8 "2018-05-22T02:11:54Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Lindbergh seemed to go out of his way to tarnish his image later in life. Too bad. That might have something to do with so little notice. > > But yeah, the 100th should be something, I imagine. > [@jaycat](#): > > Maybe they don’t honor fascists. I would be surprised if as many as 1% of the population could tell you anything about Lindbergh’s later views. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/9 "2018-05-22T04:19:03Z")
And just recently talking to some nordic type, who mentioned Lindbergh. Only of course she didn’t say Lind. Berg. Who’d have thunk it! Michigan was full of Swedes like the Lindberghs, and they would have said perhaps something like Lind Burr or Lind Burh ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/10 "2018-05-22T04:35:12Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I would be surprised if as many as 1% of the population could tell you anything about Lindbergh’s later views. I dunno, man. Pretty sure close to 1% of the population are his bastard children. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/11 "2018-05-22T08:03:53Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Maybe they don’t honor fascists. I dunno. They put Jackson on the twenty. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/12 "2018-05-22T11:26:50Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I would be surprised if as many as 1% of the population could tell you anything about Lindbergh’s later views. So, roughly everyone who knows who he is. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/13 "2018-05-22T11:40:22Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > And it all started with one young man piloting a flying gas can all by himself, and there are people living who were born when that happened (albeit most of them were pooping their diapers at the time, so not really understanding what Lindbergh did. > > . And just think, a lot of them are pooping their diapers today! Sorry. Adult caregiver joke. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/14 "2018-05-22T12:29:37Z")
I always thought it was a tremendously overrated achievement and that he far exceeded the amount of fame he was due. People did it in pairs before, the only thing he did that was different was doing it by himself and staying awake long enough to do it. Then he had to go ahead and shit on his own fame by his America Firstism. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/15 "2018-05-22T12:30:35Z")
Time to reread Thurber’s “The Greatest Man in the World.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/16 "2018-05-22T13:24:29Z")
I would highly recommend his daughter Reeve Lindbergh’s book Forward From Here, where she talks about her father’s hypocrisy and his THREE families. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/17 "2018-05-22T15:02:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I always thought it was a tremendously overrated achievement and that he far exceeded the amount of fame he was due. People did it in pairs before, the only thing he did that was different was doing it by himself and staying awake long enough to do it. Then he had to go ahead and shit on his own fame by his America Firstism. He was basically just another 1920’s fad. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/18 "2018-05-22T16:42:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Lindbergh’s flight was a landmark in several respects, including longest flight and first solo flight, but it wasn’t even close to the first trans-Atlantic flight. It was an advance, but an incremental one. That is an interesting take but it is NOT how it was perceived at the time. Lindbergh became the most famous and admired human on the planet who was not a head of state or the Pope. Clearly, people then thought it more than an incremental achievement, and the impact it had on aviation was enormous. I would further point out that no one had actually done what Lindbergh specifically did - flying an airplane, not an airship, from the United States to continental Europe. Yes, his fame was a bit faddish, but it was a hell of an accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/91-years-ago-today-charles-lindbergh-landed-in-paris/814592/19 "2018-05-22T21:05:43Z")
Timing was also important. Radio and newsreels were becoming common. An event like this got a _lot_ more hype than was possible a few decades before. Lindbergh was the first mass media star. But at least he did _something_, unlike the “K” family.