THE EARLY DAYS OF FLIGHT INVOLVED A LOT OF RISK AND CRITICAL THINKING... IN FACT, THE VERY FIRST AIRPLANE WAS INVENTED BY THE DAYTON BORN BROTHERS - ORVILLE AND WILBUR WRIGHT.
BUT YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT MANY WOMEN CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROGRESS OF AVIATION. AND IN THIS WEEK'S KNOW OHIO, WE VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM IN CLEVELAND, OHIO.
LOCATED ALONG THE SHORE OF LAKE ERIE IN THE TERMINAL OF THE BURKE LAKEFRONT AIRPORT, THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM PRESERVES THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN AVIATION. THE MUSEUM BEGAN AS A COMMITTEE OF WOMEN PILOTS KNOWN AS THE NINETY NINES. THE GROUP BEGAN SAVING MEMORABILIA IN THE 1920s, LED BY THE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT AMELIA EARHART, WHO WAS THE FIRST FEMALE PILOT TO FLY SOLO ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
COLLECTIONS SUCH AS THE 'WOMEN AIR FORCE SERVICE PILOT EXHIBIT' EXPLAIN AND SHOW THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE AIR FORCE, STARTING WITH JACKIE COCHRAN.... COCHRAN WAS AN EXCELLENT PILOT - THE FIRST TO FLY A BOMBER ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... AND WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT JERRIE MOCK.
MOCK WAS 'FROM' OHIO AND WAS THE FIRST FEMALE TO FLY SOLO AROUND THE WORLD. THE MUSEUM WILL HAVE A 'SPECIAL' EXHIBIT TO HONOR THE PILOT LATER THIS YEAR.
OTHER COLLECTIONS AT THE MUSEUM INCLUDE ARTIFACTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ARTICLES AND ART WORK RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN AVIATION 'AND' SPACE.
OHIO IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF AVIATION, SO IT'S ONLY FITTING THAT IT IS HOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.
AND... GOOD NEWS FOR THOSE OF YOU WANTING TO CHECK IT OUT, THE MUSEUM IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC.