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1932--Earns her pilot's license. |
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1934 - Enters the MacRobertson London-to-Australia race. |
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1935--Jacqueline Cochran Cosmetics begins manufacturing and Jackie enters her first
Bendix race. |
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May I1, 1936--Married to Floyd Bostwick Odlum in Kingman, Arizona. |
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1937--Wins first place in women's division of Bendix and third place
overall; becomes first woman to make blind landing, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; is
awarded her first of 15 Clifford Burke Harmon International Trophies of the International
League of Aviators as the outstanding woman flyer in the world. |
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1938--Takes first place in Bendix transcontinental; receives the
General William E. Mitchell Memorial Award as the person making the greatest contribution
to aviation that year. |
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March 24, 1939---Establishes a women's national altitude record, and
in September 1939 breaks the international open-class speed record for men and women. She
wins the William J. McGough Memorial Award from Air Service Post 501; the American Legion
honors her with its award; New York Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia presents trophy for
winning the New York-to-Miami Air Race in '39. |
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April 1940--Breaks the 2,000 kilometer international speed record and
the 100 kilometer national record; wins the Minneapolis Aqua-tennial Air Classic Award as
the outstanding woman pilot and receives her third of four trophies from the Women's
National Aeronautical Association as the outstanding woman pilot for '38, '39, '40 and by
the next year, '41. |
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June 1941 First woman to pilot a bomber across the North Atlantic;
organizes a group of twenty-five American women to fly for Great Britain in the war
effort. |
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1941 to 1943--President of 99s, an organization of women aviators founded in 1929. |
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September 11, 1942--Appointed director of women's flying training for the United States. |
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July 1943--Appointed to the general staff of the U.S. Army Air Forces; directed all
phases of Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program. |
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1945---Receives the United States Distinguished Service Medal; travels to the Far East
as correspondent for Liberty magazine; first American woman to enter Japan after
World War Il. |
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After the war, Jackie continued to participate in air races and to
establish new transcontinental and international records. She still holds more
international speed, distance, and altitude records than any other pilot. |
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1949--Decorated in France with the Legion of Honor. |
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1951--Receives the French Air Medal as well as the Lady Drummond-Hay
Trophy; other foreign decorations include Wings of Air medals from Belgium, Spain,
Thailand, Turkey, pre-communist Rumania. She is voted one of the 25 outstanding
businesswomen in America by the Boston Chamber of Commerce. |
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1953--Flying a Canadian-built Sabrejet F-86, she is the first woman
to exceed the sound barrier; receives the Gold Medal from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the only woman ever to have earned this award. Her book The Stars at
Noon is published and merits the annual book award from the Secondary Education Board
of Boston. She is called "Woman of the Year in Business" by the Associated Press
poll of newspaper editors for the first time. She wins that title again in '54. |
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1954--Is offered the Frank M. Hawks Memorial Award of Air Service
Post 501, American Legion. |
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1955---National Association of Manufacturers gives her their Golden
Fleece Award. She receives honorary degrees from Russell Sage College. Elmira College, and
later from Northland College. |
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1957--Receives the Air Force Association Award for distinguished
civilian service, the only woman to have been so honored. The United States Air Force has
already cited her in '49 and '51 for recruiting service, and she continues in '57 to hold
rank of command pilot in Civil Air Patrol. Also in 1957, she travels to Nicaragua as
personal ambassador to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
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1958-59--President of the Federation Aeronautique
lnternationale, the
only woman ever to hold that office and to be reelected for the 1960-61 term. |
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1962---Chairman of the National Aeronautic Association. |
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1962--Establishes 69 intercity and straight-line distance records for
Lockheed in a Jet Star; first woman to fly a jet airplane across the Atlantic. Also in
'62, Jackie sets 9 international speed, distance, and altitude records in a Northrop T-38
military jet aircraft. |
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April 12, 1965-4ets 15-25 kilometer course record in Lockheed |
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F-104 Starflghter--1.273.109 mph. |
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May 1, 1963--Breaks 100 kilometer course record with a speed of 1,203.686 mph. |
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May 11, 1964--Begins resetting her own records in Lockheed's F-10,K3
Starfighter: for 15-25 kilometer course, a record of 1,429.297 mph; for 100 kilometer
course, 1,302 mph; for 500 kilometer course. 1,135 mph. |
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September 16, 1965---Presented with Pionierkette Winderose decoration
by German government. |
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May 1969--Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters by Chief of Staff U.S. Air Force. |
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May 31, 1970--Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Notre Dame |
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College, Manchester, New Hampshire. |
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June 16, 1970--Presented with Legion of Merit by Secretary of the Air Force. |
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September 18, 1971--Named Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. |
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December 17, 19TI--Enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton,
Ohio: the first living woman to have been so honored. |
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Other titles, significant dates, and honors |
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Director--Air Force Academy Foundation. |
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Trustee--Air Force Museum Foundation. |
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Vice-President--Air Force Historical Foundation. |
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Director--Storer Broadcasting Company. |
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Member--Board of Councilors, University of Southern California. Institute of Safety and
Systems Management. |
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Board of Trustees--Donald Douglas Museum and Library. Member--Honorary Board of
Directors of the American Hall of Aviation History of Northrop Institute of Technology. |
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Permanent Trustee--Internationai Women's Air and Space Museum. September I0,
1975---First woman to be honored at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, by having her memorabilia dedicated as a permanent display in Arnold
Hall. 1975--Private papers donated to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, 'Abilene, Kansas. |
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August 9, 1980--Jackie dies at her home in lndio, California. |
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November 6, 1980--Memorial service for her is held at the United States Air Force
Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. |
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