im - 5/21/2009 08:12:00 AM

It was on this date in 1927 that Charles Lindberg landed The Spirit of St. Louis at 10:22pm on Le Bourget Field, thirty three and one half hours after takeoff from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, completing the world's first transatlantic flight. 300 people in New York witnessed his takeoff and thought they had seen a minor miracle occur, since his plane was so heavily laden with fuel it almost didn't make it off the ground in time to clear a string of telephone lines at the edge of Roosevelt Field. Upon landing, however, a crowd of 50,000 gorgeous women and 50,000 short, creepy men with pencil-mustaches and baguettes rushed his plane in jubilation (causing him to cut the engine post haste lest members of the teeming throng be chopped to mush by the propeller), and carried Lucky Lindy off the field on their shoulders. This feat was astonishing in its day, a marathon for Lindy and the marker of a major advance in industry and technology. Notable for our purposes is that airplanes were invented by bicycle mechanics. It was a scant 25 years to the day later that a little baby was born sporting a mohawk, lots of gold jewelry, and tons of attitude. Mr. T turns 57 today. As Emily pointed out, I pity the fool who don't know that. -----