10.6+Questions

1. Read and then Answer: CHARLES A. LINDBERGH 1902–1974 Charles A. Lindbergh took flying lessons in 1922 and bought his first airplane in 1923. Four years later, in May 1927, he became the first per- son to fly nonstop alone across the Atlantic Ocean. Lindbergh had heard about an offer of $25,000 to anyone who could fly nonstop from New York to Paris. Piloting his single engine monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, without radio or para- chute, Lindbergh flew some 3,600 miles in 33 1⁄2 hours. “Lucky Lindy” became an instant hero.

AMELIA EARHART 1897–1937 Amelia Earhart was often called “Lady Lindy” because of both her physical resemblance to Charles Lindbergh and her similar accomplishments as a pilot. Earhart took flying lessons in 1921 and bought her first plane in 1922. Noted for her courage and independ- ence, she flew where no women had gone before. She was the first woman to cross the Atlantic in a plane (as a passenger) in 1928 and the first to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. She disappeared on a round- the-world flight in 1937. What hap- pened remains a mystery to this day.

Why do you think Lindbergh and Earhart became American heroes?

It’s the fellow with four to ten thousand a year. . . and an automobile and a nice little family in a bungalow. . . that makes the wheels of progress go round! . . . That’s the type of fellow that’s ruling America today; in fact, it’s the ideal type to which the entire world must tend, if there’s to be a decent, well-balanced. . . future for this little old planet! Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt

What are the authors feelings on social values and materialistic lifestyles in America?

What changes to popular culture resulted from the migration of African Americans to the North?

What contributions to popular culture occurred in the 1920s?