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a reward of $25,000 offered in 1919 by New York City hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first person to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris -
Lindbergh visited London, where he met King George V and was honored by the British Royal Air Force, the government, and thousands of others. -
The French government awarded Lindbergh the Légion d'honneur, France’s highest order of merit. -
Lindbergh returned to the United States aboard the USS Memphis, docking in Washington, D.C., to a hero’s welcome. -
The Spirit of St. Louis—custom-built by Ryan Airlines—was completed in San Diego in just 60 days to meet Lindbergh’s specifications for a long-distance solo flight. -
Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis from San Diego to Roosevelt Field, New York, completing a nearly 3,600-mile journey to prepare for the Atlantic crossing. -
Originally planning to depart earlier, Lindbergh postponed his flight on May 19, 1927, due to poor weather conditions over the North Atlantic. -
On May 20, 1927, at 7:52 a.m., Lindbergh took off solo from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, embarking on his historic nonstop transatlantic flight to Paris. -
Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field near Paris at 10:22 p.m. local time on May 21, 1927, after 33.5 hours in the air, greeted by a crowd of over 150,000. -
The day after landing, Lindbergh toured Paris and was received as a global hero by the public and dignitaries alike. -
President Calvin Coolidge awarded Lindbergh the first-ever Distinguished Flying Cross at a White House ceremony. -
Lindbergh received a massive ticker-tape parade in New York City, attended by over four million people. -
From July to October 1927, Lindbergh toured 48 U.S. states in the Spirit of St. Louis, promoting aviation to millions as part of a Guggenheim-funded campaign.