Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. She flew many record flights, published several books and accomplished much for women in aviation. This collection consists of a file of correspondence, telegrams, official Coast Guard dispatches from the USS Itasca, newspaper and reports relating to the planning of Amelia Earhart's 1937 flight and the naval search for her after her disappearance.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a file of correspondence, telegrams, official Coast Guard dispatches from the USS Itasca, newspaper and reports relating to the planning of Amelia Earhart's 1937 flight and the naval search for her after her disappearance. The file contains correspondence signed by George Putnam and some of the correspondence relates to the radio frequencies that were to be used/were used by Earhart during her trip. This file evidently belonged to W. T. Miller, who was Airways Superintendent at the Bureau of Air Commerce, United States Department of Commerce. Miller was very involved in asserting sovereignty over Pacific Islands, such as Howland, during the late 1930s.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original reverse chronological order.
Biographical / Historical:
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. She flew many record flights, published several books and accomplished much for women in aviation before attempting on June 1, 1937, an around-the-world flight from Miami, Florida in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. She and navigator Frederick J. Noonan were flying from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. A exhaustive sea and air search, ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt, was unsuccessful in locating Earhart and Noonan.
Provenance:
John Davison, Gift, 2010, NASM.2011.0006
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Co, Inc. (Marshall, MO) Search this
Extent:
1.32 Cubic feet ((2 boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Correspondence
Video recordings
Maps
Newspapers
Date:
bulk 1930s
Summary:
This collection includes photographs, publications, and ephemera from the career of pioneer aviator Dwight S. "Barney" Zimmerley (1898?-1994).
Scope and Contents:
Included in this collection are: eight black and white 8 by 10 inch photographs relating to Barney Zimmerley's aviation career; printouts of digital images taken from a scrapbook on early aviation; certificate of appreciation from Braniff Airways, Inc.; article series on the "The Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company: The Garage that Grew Wings!" by Jack Kennedy, originally published in the American Aviation Historical Society Journal; compilation of "Parts & Crafts: Aeronautical Briefings 1917-1931, Nicholas Beazley;" National Air Pilots Association membership card; 1931 National Air Races Contesting Pilot pass; 1932 Omaha Air Races and National Balloon Races Guest pass; videotape entitled "Central Missouri Focus #203;" roster for event number 33 in the 1930 National Air Races official bulletin, The Power Dive; 11 by 17 inch illustration relating to the OX-5 engine, published by the OX-5 Club of America; and three annotated strip maps. Also included is a CD about D. S. "Barney" Zimmerley and his aviation career.
In October 2006, the Archives received a 20 by 18 inch scrapbook chronicling Zimmerley's aviation career, which included the following types of material: newspaper articles; NAA Certificates; an Aero Club of Washington Ball invitation; a short snorter; barograph records; a Link Trainer Certificate; passport and other official documentation; and correspondence. Also donated at this time were the following: photographs; newspaper and periodical articles;a Marshall Flying School Brochure; an Airways Map; 1930 National Races material; and one eleven by seven inch photo album containing black and white vintage prints of Curtiss aircraft and personalities and images of Zimmerley, his aircraft, and his family and friends.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Biographical / Historical:
Dwight S. "Barney" Zimmerley (1898?-1994) achieved success in a wide assortment of endeavors during his pioneering aviation career. Zimmerley was taught to fly by Tony Jannus in 1914, and served in the 24th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas, during World War I. After the war, Zimmerley began barnstorming, and then became a test pilot for the Nicholas-Beazley Co., and in the Nicholas-Beazley Barling NB-3 he set an altitude and a distance record for the light plane class in 1929. Zimmerley flew as a commercial airline pilot for Braniff Airways, Inc., and later became a charter pilot. He flew everything from Stearmans to Douglas DC-7s and was a member of the Quiet Birdman and the OX-5 Club of America.
Provenance:
Norman and Virginia Zimmerley Stewart, Gift, 2004.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of two newspapers put out by the printing firm of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Included here is one copy of volume 1, number 18, July 13, 1889 of West Side News, a weekly newspaper of which Wilbur was the editor and Orville the publisher. Also included is one copy of volume 1, number 5, November 17, 1894 of Snap-Shots at Current Events, another weekly newspaper. Both periodicals were put out by Wright and Wright printers, located in Dayton, Ohio. Also included is a June 22, 1954 letter from the Dayton Public Library concerning these two publications.
Biographical / Historical:
Before their historic part in the development of aircraft and before the establishment of their bicycle company, the Wright brothers were involved in the printing business. Beginning as a hobby, Orville Wright's interest in printing soon caught his brother Wilbur's attention, and in 1888 they established a printing company in Dayton, Ohio. The Wright brothers' printing firm produced local periodicals such as: The Midget, West Side News, The Dayton Tattler, church pamphlets, and bicycle parts catalogs. The Wright brothers sold their printing business in 1899.
Provenance:
C.G.B. Stuart, Gift, 1960
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Wright Brothers First Flight Story Collection [Moore]
Extent:
1.78 Cubic feet (3 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Correspondence
Newspapers
Newspaper clippings
Place:
Wright Brothers
Date:
1903-2003
Summary:
This collection consists of approximately 1.78 cubic feet of material pertaining to Harry P. Moore and newspaper coverage of the Wright Brothers first flight on December 17, 1903.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 1.78 cubic feet of material pertaining to Harry P. Moore and newspaper coverage of the Wright Brothers first flight on December 17, 1903. Materials include a handwritten draft of Moore's newspaper article on the flight; typewritten final version of the article and copies sent to various news outlets; letters about the event by telegraph operator C. C. Grant, Virginian-Pilot newsroom chief of staff C. G. Kizer, reporter Frank S. Wing, and managing editor T. H. Lamb; news coverage of the flight including the December 19, 1903 editions of the Norfolk Public Ledger and the New York Tribune and the January 2, 1904 issue of Harper's Weekly; later news clippings regarding Moore and the Wright Brothers flight story; a letter to Moore from Orville Wright written in 1928; and a First Flight Centennial program from 2003.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by topic or sometimes type of material with items put in chronological order within folders when applicable.
Biographical / Historical:
The Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with the world's first successful flights of a powered heavier-than-air flying machine. The Wright 1903 Flyer was the product of a sophisticated four-year program of research and development conducted by Wilbur and Orville Wright beginning in 1899. After building and testing three full-sized gliders, the Wrights' first powered airplane flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, making a 12-second flight, traveling 36 m (120 ft), with Orville piloting. The best flight of the day, with Wilbur at the controls, covered 255.6 m (852 ft) in 59 seconds.
Harry P. Moore was a marine reporter for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot who had been following the Wrights' work at Kitty Hawk based on a tip he overheard in a restaurant in September 1903. Moore asked several contacts in the U.S. Coast Guard to keep him apprised of any developments. Less than an hour after the Wrights' first successful flight on December 17, 1903, C. C. Grant, assistant weather observer at Norfolk, dispatched a message to Moore from a Coast Guardsman at Kitty Hawk about the flight. Moore worked with editor Keville Glennan on a draft of the story and began offering it to various news outlets, although only five ordered the story.
Provenance:
Steve Fritts, Gift, 2018, NASM.2018.0012
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Zeppelin (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH) (Germany) Search this
Extent:
1.74 Cubic feet ((6 boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Newspapers
Photographs
Maps
Date:
bulk 1928-1938
Summary:
The German Commercial Zeppelins Collection documents German commercial Zeppelin travel during the 1930s.
Scope and Contents:
This collection highlights German commercial Zeppelin travel during the 1930s, and includes the following: a history of flights; route maps; photographs, including interior shots of the accommodations and fittings of the LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin;" a schedule of sailings and fares; a description of the four medals struck to honor the LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin;" magazine and newspaper articles, including an account of the explosion of the LZ 129 "Hindenburg" in 1938; and the 1933 book, Zeppelin-Weltfahrten.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
The German Commercial Zeppelins Collection is arranged by content type.
Biographical / Historical:
The Zeppelin Company, founded in 1908 in Germany by Ferdinand von Zeppelin, was a pioneer company renowned for its airships and transoceanic commercial air service. Ferdinand von Zeppelin had been experimenting with rigid airships since the late 1800s and the Zeppelin LZ 1 made its first flight in 1900. Further models followed until the LZ 4 was introduced in 1908. The LZ 4 crashed during a test flight which led to an outpouring of support and monetary donations from the public and made possible the founding of the Zeppelin Company (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH). Beginning in 1909, Zeppelin airships were used for passenger transport by the Deutsche Luftschiffahrts Aktiengesellschaft (DELAG). In 1934 Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels offered two million marks of his ministry's funds for the Zeppelin Company. This infusion of money led to the virtual takeover of the company by the state. The new company, Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei, was formed 22 March 1935 with Air Ministry General Field Marshall Herman Goering the president of the company
Provenance:
Unknown.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
The Russian Aeronautical Collection is a mix of technical, historical, and cultural reference materials, including originals or copies of articles, documents and other historical materials relating to Russian and Soviet aviation from the Tsarist period through the Soviet era. The collection focuses on key events, personalities and aircraft designs, and certain subject areas are covered in depth, including the life and career of Igor Sikorsky, the transpolar flights of the 1930s, Soviet aviation in the Spanish Civil War, and the operational history of the Soviet Air Force in World War II.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains newspaper clippings, articles, pamphlets/booklets, magazines/journals, reports, monographs, manuscripts, bibliographies and a few photographs.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
This collection was arranged by the creator first by what chronological era the subject matter dealt with, then alphabetically within each era by file unit title. Von Hardesty also created a grouping of materials that deals with aircraft design and designers and another grouping that contains reference material. Groupings and materials are in the order that the processing archivist received them which also correspondes to the guide that Von Hardesty created.
The processing archivist added the last 2 series which covers materials that were not listed in the original guide to the collection.
There are 8 series:
Series I: 1885-1917
Series II: 1918-1940
Series III: 1941-1945
Series IV: 1946-Onwards
Series V: Design
Series VI: Reference
Series VII: Loose Materials
Series VIII: Administrative Material
Biographical / Historical:
The Russian Aeronautical Collection (RAC) was assembled over the course of two decades by Von Hardesty, curator in the Aeronautics Division of the National Air and Space Museum. The RAC developed as a research project linked to the publication of Hardesty's book Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941 -1945 (first published in 1982.)
Provenance:
Aeronautics Division / Von Hardesty, Transfer, 2006
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.