Pin, Lindbergh, King Collection

A metal pin in the shape of the Spirit of St. Louis attached to a piece of paper with a picture of Lindbergh in a flight helmet and goggles. The head of the pilot can be seen on the pin. The piece of paper has a black border and text that commemorates the flight across the Atlantic giving route, time, date, name of pilot and plane.

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.