Coleman, Bessie
1892-1926 · Contribution: 1921
First African-American woman to earn a pilot's license
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Became the first Black woman and first Native American woman to hold a pilot's license, after being rejected by U.S. flight schools and training in France instead, paving the way for future Black aviators.
Life & background
An aviator who, after being denied entry to American flight schools because of her race and gender, traveled to France to earn her pilot's license in 1921. She returned to the U.S. as a celebrated stunt and exhibition pilot, inspiring generations of Black aviators despite a flying career cut short by her early death in a 1926 plane accident.
Sources
- Dayton International Airport (A Better Day); Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI)
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