Chuck Yeager with the Bell X-1, First Flight Beyond Speed of Sound Photo

Download a larger version:
2938x2346 pixels (705KB file).

Download fee: 50 cents [Help/FAQ]

On 14 October 1947, Captain Charles E. 'Chuck' Yeager became the first human to travel faster than the speed of sound. The youthful Air Force test pilot streaked above Rogers Dry Lake at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards AFB, CA), flying at a speed of Mach 1.06 (700 mph), making the first sonic boom ever heard. Facing unknown forces, the Bell X-1 rocket research plane was stressed for 18g airloads, making it probably the strongest airframe in the world at that time.

"Glamorous Glennis", the Bell X-1, can be seen today at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washinton, DC.

Today in WW II: 8 Feb 1940 Germans establish the first large Jewish ghetto in Poland in the city of Lodz. More ↓

8 Feb 1941 US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Act [265 to 165].
8 Feb 1942 Battle of Sarimbun Beach begins, the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore.
8 Feb 1942 Japanese Offensive in Burma begins [8 Feb-2 May].
8 Feb 1945 Battle of the Reichswald: British and Canadian forces under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery begin Operation Veritable [8 Feb-11 Mar].
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.