Belt, Lindbergh, King Collection

A brown leather belt with a metal belt buckle. The belt has a pattern on it of a star in a circle, "Lucky Lindy", The Spirit of St. Louis with "Spirit of St. Louis on the wing, a windsock on a pole, a spotlight, an aircraft hangar with two aircraft in it and the text "Le Bourget" below, the Spirit of St. Louis again. A repeating pattern of stars and airplanes runs the entire length of the belt above and below the main pattern.

On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh literally flew into history when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, thus becoming the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. This flight made Lindbergh a household name and catapulted him into fame and celebrity. The objects of popular culture in the National Collection display everything from ashtrays to wristwatches reflect the public adulation for Lindbergh and the powerful commercial response to his celebrity. More than 75 years after the Spirit's historic flight, Lindbergh's name still has the power help sell manufactured goods.