|
Collection:
|
|
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
|
|
Title:
|
|
Bessie Coleman, First African American Pilot
Title
Bessie Coleman, First African American Pilot
Title
|
|
Full Description:
|
|
Born on January 26, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas to a family of sharecroppers, Bessie Coleman grew up in poverty. Her father abandoned the family when she was nine, and her elder brothers soon left as well, leaving her mother with the four youngest of her thirteen children. While taking care of her younger sisters, Bessie completed all eight available years of primary education, excelling in math. She enrolled at the Colored Agricultural and Normal University in Langston, Oklahoma in 1910, but lack of funds forced her to leave after only one term.
Five years later, she left the South and moved to Chicago to join two of her brothers, Walter and John, where she worked as a beautician for several years. An avid reader, she learned about World War I pilots in the newspaper and became intrigued by the prospect of flying. As a black woman, she had no chance of acceptance at any American pilot school, so she moved to France in 1919 and enrolled at the Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudon at Le Crotoy.
After returning briefly to the United States, she spent one more term in France practicing more advanced flying before finally settling back in her birth country. She did exhibition flying and gave lectures across the country from 1922 to 1926. While flying, she refused to perform unless the audiences were desegregated. She was test flying a new plane on April 30, 1926 when it malfunctioned, killing both her and the mechanic who was piloting it. Her career as the world's first African American pilot inspired many who followed.
Full_Description
Born on January 26, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas to a family of sharecroppers, Bessie Coleman grew up in poverty. Her father abandoned the family when she was nine, and her elder brothers soon left as well, leaving her mother with the four youngest of her thirteen children. While taking care of her younger sisters, Bessie completed all eight available years of primary education, excelling in math. She enrolled at the Colored Agricultural and Normal University in Langston, Oklahoma in 1910, but lack of funds forced her to leave after only one term.
Five years later, she left the South and moved to Chicago to join two of her brothers, Walter and John, where she worked as a beautician for several years. An avid reader, she learned about World War I pilots in the newspaper and became intrigued by the prospect of flying. As a black woman, she had no chance of acceptance at any American pilot school, so she moved to France in 1919 and enrolled at the Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudon at Le Crotoy.
After returning briefly to the United States, she spent one more term in France practicing more advanced flying before finally settling back in her birth country. She did exhibition flying and gave lectures across the country from 1922 to 1926. While flying, she refused to perform unless the audiences were desegregated. She was test flying a new plane on April 30, 1926 when it malfunctioned, killing both her and the mechanic who was piloting it. Her career as the world's first African American pilot inspired many who followed.
Full Description
|
|
Date:
|
|
06/15/1921
|
|
NASA Center:
|
|
Headquarters
NASA_Center
Headquarters
NASA Center
|
|
Subject Category:
|
|
Women
Subject_Category
Women
Subject Category
|
|
Subject Category:
|
|
Early Aerospace-Pioneers
Subject_Category
Early Aerospace-Pioneers
Subject Category
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
American
Keywords
American
Keywords
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
Bessie
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
Coleman
Keywords
Coleman
Keywords
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
first
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
African
Keywords
African
Keywords
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
woman
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
pilot
|
|
Keywords:
|
|
aviation
Keywords
aviation
Keywords
|
|
Audience:
|
|
General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Texas
facet_where
Texas
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
France
facet_where
France
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Atlanta
facet_where
Atlanta
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Chicago
facet_where
Chicago
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Oklahoma
facet_where
Oklahoma
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
United States of America
facet_where
United States of America
facet_where
|
|
facet_when:
|
|
1919
facet_when
1919
facet_when
|
|
facet_when:
|
|
1910
facet_when
1910
facet_when
|
|
facet_when:
|
|
January 26, 1892
facet_when
January 26, 1892
facet_when
|
|
facet_when:
|
|
April 30, 1926
facet_when
April 30, 1926
facet_when
|
|
facet_when:
|
|
06-15-1921
facet_when
06-15-1921
facet_when
|
|
facet_when_year:
|
|
1910
facet_when_year
1910
facet_when_year
|
|
facet_when_year:
|
|
1926
facet_when_year
1926
facet_when_year
|
|
facet_when_year:
|
|
1921
facet_when_year
1921
facet_when_year
|
|
facet_when_year:
|
|
1919
facet_when_year
1919
facet_when_year
|
|
facet_when_year:
|
|
1892
facet_when_year
1892
facet_when_year
|
|
Image #:
|
|
80-12873
|
|
original_url:
|
original_url
original_url
|
|
UID:
|
|
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2004-00 027
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2004-00 027
UID
|
|
Center:
|
|
HQ
|
|
Center Number:
|
|
80-12873
Center_Number
80-12873
Center Number
|
|
GRIN DataBase Number:
|
|
GPN-2004-00027
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2004-00027
GRIN DataBase Number
|
|
Creator-Photographer:
|
|
NASM
Creator-Photographer
NASM
Creator-Photographer
|
|
Original Source:
|
|
DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
|
