In 1926, the United States celebrated the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary, of the Declaration of Independence. Carter G. Woodson broadened public awareness to the impact of Black Americans on our nation's history by starting Negro History Week in 1926. This later became Black History Month, celebrated every February. On March 16, 1926, Robert H. Goddard successfully launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, marking a milestone in space exploration. In May 1926, Admiral Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett made a flight from Spitzbergen, Norway over the North Pole and back. This was the first airplane flight over the Pole, and used the J-4B engine in a Fokker F-VII Tri-motor. On August 6, 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim English Channel.
