Button, Lindbergh, King Collection

A button with a white center and red white and blue border. The top of the button has an image of an eagle with its wings spread just above an image of Lindbergh’s head. To the right and left of Lindbergh are American flags as well as the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Below Lindbergh red text reads "Welcome" and an image of the Spirit of St. Louis.

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.