This post was co-written with Katherine Stinson, an Archives Specialist in the National Archives (NARA) Moving Image and Sound Branch. One of the joys of archives is discovering a research subject you never even knew was missing from your life. The NARA Moving Image and Sound Branch and the Motion Picture Preservation Lab collaborated on … Continue reading Queens of the Air: American Women Aviation Pioneers
At the beginning of the 20th century, dreams of flying morphed from science fiction to reality. From the Wright Brothers’ early expeditions in Kitty Hawk, to the World War I fighter pilots in Europe, the airplane generated excitement around the world. Yet despite intense interest and publicity, the airplane’s practicality was still in doubt. Although … Continue reading Daring Deliveries: The U.S. Post Office and the Birth of Commercial Aviation
You may recall our blog post from the beginning of April about the Avrocar, the U.S. Air Force’s flying saucer. The Avrocar wasn’t the only futuristic mode of air transport developed by the military, and it certainly isn’t the only captured on film. At the National Archives and Records Administration, we also hold films depicting … Continue reading Alternative Aviation: Rocket Men and Flying Platforms
The theme this week is Aviation. Local Identifier: 18-WP-48625, Photograph of the Wright Brothers’ Camp in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, 1903 Local Identifier: 165-WW-7B-6, “Wright Brothers’ 1904 Aeroplane (“Kitty Hawk”) in first flight, December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, N.C. Orville Wright at controls. Wilbur Wright standing at right. (first flight was 12 seconds)” Local … Continue reading Images of the Week: Aviation
“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth . . . . Put out my hand and touched the Face of God.” You may be familiar with these lines—the first and last of John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s 1941 sonnet “High Flight”. Many of us likely recognize them from President Ronald Reagan’s speech on the … Continue reading Celebrating Aviation with Magee’s “High Flight”
“Thirty women pilots have groomed their ships for a wholesale assault today and tomorrow on man’s supremacy in the air.” This quote is taken from a newspaper clipping from the production file for Universal Newsreel volume 7, release 406. Since the early years of aviation, airshows and air derbies have allowed pilots to test their … Continue reading Girl Aces Hold Own Air Show: Universal Newsreel and the 1935 Women’s Championship Air Show
Over the course of 78 years, more than 500 million people have seen the Blue Angels perform at air shows around the world and have witnessed the power and grace of some of the US Navy’s aircraft. The vision to establish a Naval flight exhibition team came in 1946 from the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Chester Nimitz, with hopes of boosting Navy morale and demonstrating Naval air superiority. Within a year, the team began flying its famous diamond formation that is still used to this day.
Mary Pickford—born in Canada as Gladys Louise Smith—started her career in the American film industry at the turn of the century. As she rose to fame, she became known as “America’s Sweetheart” through her work in silent films. She was one of the most popular actresses through the 1910s and 1920s. It was no surprise … Continue reading Mary Pickford’s 1953 Savings Bond Tour
Please Note: Primary source documents used in this post may contain harmful language. See NARA’s Statement on Potentially Harmful Language. The First Motion Picture Unit When America entered the war in Europe in 1941, the country’s greatest challenge was finding enough manpower to wage a two-front war. The country needed to quickly increase the number … Continue reading Wings for This Man: Celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen
The X-15 did not take off. It must have stuck out its thumb, because it hitched a ride into flight. On July 17, 1962, Air Force Maj. Robert White took to the air with his X-15 mounted under the wing of a modified B-52. After separating from the mothership, he ignited his plane’s rockets and … Continue reading X-15A Flight No. 3-7-14: To the Edge of Space
