Charles Lindbergh
1902–1974 · American (Detroit, Michigan) · Interwar Period / Cold War
Known for: First person to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis, becoming the most famous American of his era
Lindbergh became the most famous man in the world overnight after his 1927 New York-to-Paris flight. He was 25, lanky, handsome, and modest—the perfect American hero. But fame brought tragedy: his infant son was kidnapped and murdered in 1932.
He became controversial for his isolationist and pro-German views before WWII, receiving a medal from Hermann Göring. He secretly fathered seven children by three European women. He later became an environmentalist. His character was complex—heroic in the air, deeply flawed on the ground.
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