Hard to imagine talking about the 1920s without a discussion of Charles Lindbergh and the other aviators. Lindbergh was a complex, private fellow. His legacy is also complex. Later the victim of a tragic kidnapping of his son that became a media circus, spokesman for the isolationist "America First" movement, controversial trip to Germany in the late 1930s, etc. In later years an early environmentalist. But in 1927, right after his remarkable non stop solo flight from New York to Paris in a single engine plane, Lindbergh was the most popular and famous man in the world. Before he took off, only a minority thought he would make it, and some in the press called him the "flying fool" on a suicide mission. Many people who lived in the 1920s said that when word arrived that his plane had been sighted over Ireland and he would complete his flight, it was the high point of the decade for them. A huge crowd arrived at the Paris airfield to welcome him. President Coolidge ordered a navy cruiser to bring Lindbergh and his plane back home. His ticker tape parade in New York City drew 5 million people, a record never matched before or since. Only the parade for the Apollo 11 astronauts came close. The optimism after the flight ignited the final sensational phase of the bull market in stocks that lasted until the 1929 crash. The general feeling was America could accomplish anything.
Here is the best documentary on that flight and the man I have seen, and I have seen many and read several biographies. Narrarated by newsman Peter Jennings, with numerous interviews, including with his daughter Reeve and his acclaimed and authoritative biographer Scott Berg. If you know a lot about Lindbergh you will like it. A little, you'll like it too. About 40 minutes. Pull up a chair & enjoy:
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