May 20

What happened on May 20 in aviation and space history.

• May 20, 1927

  Lindbergh's solo Atlantic crossing (Spirit of St. Louis)

  Record — Between 20 and 21 May 1927 Charles Lindbergh flew the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat Spirit of St. Louis from Long Island, New York, to Paris in the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight. The high-wing monoplane, purpose-built for the attempt, won him the $25,000 Orteig Prize. The crossing transformed how the public saw long-distance aviation.