1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast for people who can 4 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: never know enough about history. Today is May. The day 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: was May eighth, nineteen fifty three, aviator Jackie Cochrane became 6 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: the first woman to break the sound barrier. Cochrane learned 7 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: to fly in the early nineteen thirties, taking flying lessons 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 1: at the Roosevelt Flying School on Long Island. It only 9 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: took her three weeks to get her pilot's license. She 10 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: then trained and built up flight hours at the Ryan 11 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: School of Aeronautics in San Diego, California. Cochrane got her 12 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: commercial pilot's license in nineteen thirty three. The next year, 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: she entered the Mcrobertson Air Race from London to Melbourne. 14 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: Cochrane had been interested in cosmetics even before she began flying. 15 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: In the nineteenth five, she combined her passions for the 16 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: two fields by establishing a cosmetics company, for which she 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: flew around the country delivering products and getting new distributors. 18 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: She was aware of how her flying career and cosmetics 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: business affected each other, and she often paused to apply 20 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: lipstick while in the cockpit. All the while, Cochrane was 21 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: earning first, setting records and starting new initiatives in flight. 22 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: In seven, she became the first woman to make an 23 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 1: instrument landing. In eight she won the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race. 24 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: During World War Two, she also organized the Women's Flying 25 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: Training Detachment to train civilian women pilots. These women what 26 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: ferry aircraft and personnel, toe targets, and fly in other 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: non combat capacities. After the war, Cochrane set multiple speed 28 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: records in her Lucky Load Star. One of the achievements 29 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: she's best remembered for is becoming the first woman to 30 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: reach supersonic flight. Chuck Yeager was the first person ever 31 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: to break the sound barrier when he flew faster than 32 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: the speed of sound in the Bell X one in 33 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 1: ninety seven. Jaeger was a lifelong friend of Cochrane's. On 34 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: nifty three, with the guidance of Yeager, Cochrane became the 35 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound 36 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: and the Canadian built F eighty six Saber. She had 37 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: borrowed the jet since military aircraft weren't available to civilian pilots. 38 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: Cochrane went on to set other supersonic records, and the 39 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: realm of supersonic flight continued to develop. She was the 40 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: first woman to exceed MAK two, where MAK two is 41 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: twice the speed of sound. Though she was involved in 42 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: a program that tested the ability of women to be 43 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: astronauts in the nineteen sixties, she did argue against the 44 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: feasibility of including women in a space program that was 45 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: already established. Cochrane was also the first woman to pilot 46 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: a jet across the Atlantic, and she was the first 47 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: woman to land a jet on an aircraft carrier. Outside 48 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: of her flying career, Cochrane was involved in politics the 49 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: Republican Party and supported Dwight Eisenhower's presidential candidacy in addition 50 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: to running for Congress in nineteen fifty six. When she 51 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,359 Speaker 1: died in nineteen eighty, Cochrane held more speed, distance, or 52 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: altitude records than any other pilot. I'm each def Coote 53 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 54 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. And if you have any comments 55 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: are suggestions for future episodes, you can send them to 56 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: us at this day at I heart media dot com. 57 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: You can also hit us up on social media. We're 58 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: at t d i h C podcast. Thanks so much 59 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: for listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. 60 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: M For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the 61 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 62 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.