The name Charles Lindbergh may provoke different thoughts, depending on your age and interests.

For aviation enthusiasts, Charles Lindbergh is an American hero. A man who completed the very first nonstop flight across the Atlantic, successfully flying from New York City to Paris in 1927.

Others, perhaps those that are interested in true crime stories, may know Charles Lindbergh because of The Lindbergh Kidnapping, a tragic case where Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. was kidnapped from his own second-floor nursery in New Jersey in 1932. The case, unfortunately, had a very tragic ending despite efforts from the parents, law enforcement, and local media.

Regardless of how you know the name Charles Lindbergh, it may surprise you to learn that the famous aviator was actually from Detroit.


Born in February of 1902, Lindbergh wouldn't spend much time in Michigan. His father, a very vocal antiwar advocate, went on to become a Congressional Representative for the 6th District of Minnesota in 1907, just five years after Charles was born.

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While he didn't spend much time in Michigan, the home where he was born, which belonged to his Grandfather, stood until the 1970s when it was torn down. Now, at 1120 W. Forest Ave. in Detroit, you'll find an apartment complex instead.

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Charles' Mother, who graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan, was a high school science teacher in Detroit prior to Charles' birth. Charles' parents eventually separated when he was a young child. Read more here.


Thanks to his successful flight across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh became famous practically overnight, or at least as quickly as news could travel in 1927. All at the age of 25 years old.

He went on to use his fame to promote commercial air travel in America before moving his family to Europe.

The Controversial Parts of Charles Lindbergh's Life

Once in Europe, Lindbergh began touring Germany giving talks on aviation and visiting aviation facilities. Adolf Hitler awarded him a medal for his service in 1938 which, understandably, caused some controversy. However, Lindbergh apparently refused to return the medal and was quoted saying,

Europe, and the entire world, is fortunate that a Nazi Germany lies, at present, between Communistic Russia and a demoralized France.

It's also reported that he was a big believer in Eugenics. Yikes.

The end of Lindbergh's life found him in Maui, Hawaii where he passed away in August of 1974 at the age of 72.

See a complete outline of Lindbergh's life, the tragic and controversial included, at Britannica.com.

Sure, flying across the Atlantic for the first time is one way to become famous. But, what about competition shows? As it turns out, a lot of Michiganders have had their 15 minutes of fame on t.v. Do you recognize any of them?

A Long List of People From Michigan Who Have Been on Competition Shows

Throughout the years we've enjoyed watching complete strangers do ridiculous things to win prizes for our amusement. So we compiled a gallery of all the different Michigan residents we've seen on some of those shows. Which ones do you remember?

Popular Child Stars From Every Year

Below, Stacker sifted through movie databases, film histories, celebrity biographies and digital archives to compile this list of popular pint-sized actors from 1919 through 2021.

 

 

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