Born in Detroit and raised in Minnesota, Lindbergh had a practical upbringing shaped by farm life and politics — his father served in Congress for ten years. His first glimpse of an airplane came in Washington, D.C., and it must have made an impression. After a brief stint studying mechanical engineering, Lindbergh dropped out of college to pursue flying full-time. He started out barnstorming across the Midwest, performing stunt shows and wing walks to earn a living and sharpen his skills in the air.
The Spirit of St Louis official movie trailer (1957)
By the mid-1920s, Lindbergh was flying mail routes and building a solid reputation in aviation circles. But he had his eyes on something much bigger: the $25,000 Orteig Prize, promised to the first person to complete a nonstop flight between New York and Paris. With backing from businessmen in St. Louis, he worked with the Ryan Aircraft Company to design the plane that would carry him across the Atlantic. He named it Spirit of St. Louis, and oversaw its construction down to the last detail.
Lindbergh’s May 1927 flight was a bold personal challenge that captured the public’s imagination in a way few events ever had. Crowds in Paris greeted him like royalty, and when he returned to the U.S., the celebrations were enormous. In Washington, President Coolidge hosted him as a national guest of honor. New York and St. Louis followed with massive parades. It was clear that Lindbergh had become a symbol of courage, precision, and technological progress, all wrapped up in one solo flight.
Below, we’ve gathered original newspaper clippings, photos and firsthand accounts that help tell the story of how Charles Lindbergh rose from a small-town pilot to a name known around the world. Take a look through these vintage materials that capture both the man and the moment that made aviation history.
- The Spirit of St. Louis - DVD Brand New
- James Stewart, Daws Butler, George O'Hanlon (Actors)
- Billy Wilder (Director) - George O'Hanlon (Writer)
Charles Lindbergh’s life story, to age 25 (1927)
How Charles Lindbergh rose from working on a farm to become world hero for flight across Atlantic Ocean: Lindbergh’s life story summarized
by Bonita Witt – Charleston Gazette (South Carolina) June 12, 1927
Summary of the life of Charles A Lindbergh based on facts told to the writer by Lindbergh’s mother, Mrs Evangeline L Lindbergh.
Charles A Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1902. When a small child, he moved to Little Falls, Minnesota, where he passed much of his boyhood.
From 1907-1917, when his father, Charles A Lindbergh, was a representative in Congress from Minnesota, Charles lived in Washington[DC] when Congress was in session.
It was in Washington in 1910 that young Lindbergh saw his first airplane.
He attended school in Washington and Little Falls and also in Detroit, Michigan. During the war years, when Charles was too young to enlist in the army or to enter college, he “worked” his father’s farm at Little Falls, making it pay dividends for the first time.
He enrolled in the University of Wisconsin in 1921, taking mechanical engineering courses. Deciding to become an aviator, Lindbergh left the university after his third semester (one and a half years), going to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he received his first flying lessons.
As soon as he was able to pilot a plane Lindbergh began to make “gypsy” or “barnstorming” tours, giving exhibitions of stunt flying, wing walking and parachute jumping.
On March 12, 1924, he enrolled as a flying cadet at Brooks-Kelly government flying school at San Antonio, Texas. Graduated from Brooks-Kelly on March 16, 1925, he went to work for the Mile-Hi Aircraft Company at Denver, Colorado.
A short time later, he became chief pilot for the Robertson Aircraft Development Company of St Louis. He is still under contract to them, having been given leave of absence to make the New York-Paris flight.
While flying the airmail, Lindbergh became a captain in the Missouri National Guard.
Early in 1926, Lindbergh first began to take an interest in long-distance flights.
Deciding to compete for the $25,000 Ortieg prize for the first non-stop New York-Paris flight, he secured the financial backing of a group of young St Louis business men.
While in New York to select a plane for the flight Lindbergh became interested in the performance of a Ryan monoplane.
Going to San Diego, California, he enlisted the enthusiasm of BF Mahoney, youthful president of the Ryan company.
Remaining in San Diego, Lindbergh supervised every detail in the construction of the plane.
When it was completed Capt Lindbergh flew the monoplane to St Louis, where it was christened the “Spirit of St Louis,” then flew to New York, making the trans-continental trip in record-breaking actual flying time.
Taking off from Roosevelt Field, New York, on the morning of May 20, he arrived in Paris thirty-three hours and twenty-nine minutes later.
Received by the ruling heads of France, Belgium and England, with probably the greatest acclaim ever accorded an individual, he was given the highest honors possible.
President Coolidge crowned the glories of the other nations by inviting him to journey to Washington on the speedy cruiser “Memphis” to receive the honors of his own nation.
Following which come mighty celebrations in New York and St Louis, which in addition to Washington, were prepared to host the young man who “achieved the impossible.”
