This month in St. Louis history

Lindbergh's Atlantic flight

In May, 1927, world attention became focused on a relatively unknown flier, St. Louisan Charles Lindbergh. His life and that of aviation itself was changed on May 21, when he landed near Paris on the first solo non-stop airplane flight across the Atlantic.

That 33 1/2 hour flight from New York in the single-engined plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, served as the popularize transcontinental air travel. That 3,610-mile flight also made Lindbergh into an enduring 20th Century icon.

Although his flight was before the advent of television, Lindbergh's flight and the response from across the world was closely followed in the media. There was film footage shown in theaters and also heavy newspaper, magazine and radio news coverage.

Now, 75 years later, several events will allow us to re-live the adventure of those early days.

For one, the Missouri History Museum is opening a new Lindbergh exhibition on May 5. The exhibition will include many items from the museum's renowned Lindbergh College.

There are stories, photos, objects and interactive experiences for exhibit goers.

There is an admission fee for the exhibit. However, free attendance for the public is scheduled each Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. For complete details, visit the museum's website at www.mohistory.org. Or you can call for tour information at (314) 361-9017.

Lindbergh's grandson, Erik Lindbergh, also figures in the current attention on the famous St. Louisan. On May 1, Erik will take off from New York in his own specially-built single-engined plane. He will fly across the Atlantic following the original Lindbergh's route. Erik also will land at the same Le Bourget airfield near Paris that his famed grandfather used.

A documentary of Erik's flight and remembrances of the original Lindbergh flight will be shown on the History Channel. That show, titled "Lindbergh Flies Again," will air May 20.

There also are a number of biographies about the original Lindbergh. You can find them by contacting your local library or bookstore.