Button, Lindbergh, King Collection

A white button with a drawing of the Spirit of St. Louis. A circle with an image of Lindbergh overlaps the top of the airplane. The button is attached to a red, white and blue ribbon that is attached to a gold-colored piece of metal with the word "Souvenir" stamped on it. "Welcome Colonel Charles Lindbergh Minnesota's own" appear above both images on the button.

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.