Sky's the Limit: Top 11 Fun Facts About Bessie Coleman, the Trailblazing Paris-Trained Pilot

1. Aviatrix Crosses Atlantic

Why did the aviatrix cross the Atlantic? To soar above glass ceilings in the Roaring Twenties, of course: Defying racial and gender barriers, Bessie Coleman flew to France to get her pilot's license, becoming the first African American woman to hold an international pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, which led to a legendary career as a barnstorming pilot in Europe and the United States.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

2. Winging it with a Baguette

While Bessie Coleman wasn't busy "winging it" with a baguette in her hands, she was soaring high above gender and racial barriers: This fearless aviatrix became the first African American woman to secure a pilot's license, earning her spot in the skies in France in 1921.
Source => shoppbs.pbs.org

Did you know Amelia Earhart was not only a pioneering aviator but also a champion for women's rights? Discover her record-breaking achievements and inspiring legacy! ✈️🚺💪

=> Fun Facts about Amelia-Earhart

3. Sky's the Limit in France

When Bessie Coleman found the sky's the limit – but not in the land of the free and the home of the brave: Bessie soared to new heights and crossed the Atlantic to get her pilot's license in France in 1921, breaking barriers as the first African American woman to achieve such a feat, all due to the United States' racial prejudices failing to help her take off.
Source => pioneersofflight.si.edu

4. Looping the Loop Pioneer

In a world where looping the loop and barrel rolls are not just for animated airplanes (*cough* Disney's Planes *cough*), Bessie Coleman delighted in taking to the sky and leaving onlookers' jaws on the ground: defying gravity and convention, Coleman thrilled audiences with her captivating stunt flying mastery, featuring aerial acrobatics like loops, dives, and barrel rolls, always eager to explore the uncharted clouds of the sky's possibilities.
Source => monroenews.com

5. From Cotton Fields to French Skies

Winds of change, quite literally: Bessie Coleman, a daring trendsetter whose turbulent dreams propelled her from Texas cotton fields to flying high in the French skies, earned her pilot's license in France and -- in true trailblazer fashion -- opened up a world of aviation opportunities for her fellow African Americans and women alike.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

6. La Vie en Rose Aviator

Call her Bessie "La Vie en Rose" Coleman – because this high-flying gal took her aviation dreams all the way to France with spicy joie de vivre: Bessie Coleman broke barriers and soared above prejudice by traveling to France, where she earned her international pilot's license in 1921, making her the first African American woman to do so and blazing a trail for future aviation enthusiasts of all races and genders.
Source => womenshistory.org

7. Queen of Sky Graffiti

In a sky-high game of tic-tac-toe, Bessie Coleman was queen of sky graffiti: This trailblazing aviator notoriously performed jaw-dropping stunts such as loop-the-loops and airborne figure eights, leaving audiences spellbound both in the United States and Europe, as she broke barriers and inspired countless dreamers to soar.
Source => womenshistory.org

8. French-Fluent Female Flier

When Bessie Coleman wasn't reaching for the sky, she was reaching for her French dictionary: This aviation trailblazer learned to speak French fluently and attended flight school in France after American schools grounded her dreams due to race. She soared above expectations, and on June 15, 1921, was awarded an aviation license - becoming the world's first Black pilot!
Source => postalmuseum.si.edu

9. Migrating for Unclipped Wings

If Bessie Coleman were a bird, she'd be the kind that migrates great distances in search of skies that don't clip her wings: Only in France could she win her pilot's license in the 1920s, thwarting the discrimination that clipped the aspirations of African American aviators in the United States, and etching her name in the history books as the first African American woman to do so.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

10. Textbook-Worthy Trailblazer

While textbooks are just airplane-mad about the Wright brothers, they seem to have misplaced their boarding passes when it comes to Bessie Coleman's high-flying achievements: As the first African-American woman to earn an international pilot's license, she bravely ventured to France to forge an upward path for other Black women in the aviation industry.
Source => kids.nationalgeographic.com

11. Fabulous Pigeon Smashing Stereotypes

Taking flight like the world's most fabulous pigeon with ambitions to break stereotypes: Bessie Coleman became the first licensed Black pilot in the United States, earning her pilot's license from the prestigious Federation Aeronautic Internationale in France in 1921 and soaring her way into international fame as an aviation pioneer.
Source => jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu