Charles A. Lindbergh

Biography

Charles Augustus Lindbergh (1902–1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, and explorer who became the most famous person in the world after completing the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris on May 20–21, 1927. Flying the Spirit of St. Louis, the twenty-five-year-old Lindbergh covered 3,600 miles in 33.5 hours, winning the $25,000 Orteig Prize and becoming an instant international hero. His account of the flight, "We" (1927), became a massive bestseller. Lindbergh's later life was marked by the kidnapping and murder of his infant son, controversial isolationist politics, and extensive conservation work.