Record
Blériot crosses the English Channel
July 25, 1909
On 25 July 1909 Louis Blériot flew the first Blériot XI across the English Channel, the first such crossing by a heavier-than-air aircraft. The feat made him a world figure overnight and secured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. Its impact was captured by the British press headline declaring that Britain was no longer an island: the aeroplane had just erased a natural frontier.