Winston Churchill once said, “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” Many men have tried to take on this task, and two particular men who have written history are Charles Lindbergh and Christopher Columbus. Charles “Slim” Lindbergh was born February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. “Lucky Lindy” was infamous for winning the Orteig Prize in late May of 1927. Christopher Columbus was born October 1, 1451, in Genoa, Italy. Columbus was an explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Lindbergh and Columbus are both important men in history; even though 400 years separate Lindbergh and Columbus’ times, both men had goals they wanted to achieve, trials and tribulations they faced, and both developed many different skills on their road to success. Initially, Lindbergh and Columbus achieved many different goals in their lifetimes. Lindberg was a man full of ambition. From a young age, it is said that he never showed interest in school because he spent his time studying mechanics. As Lindberg grew, so did his adventurous desires. In 1922, Lindberg finally found something to satisfy his need for danger; he had discovered airplanes. Lindberg went on two barnstorming tours before deciding that he needed his own aircraft (“Charles Augustus Lindbergh.”). Once this plane was purchased, Lindberg was a new man! Charles began working in the “air mail” business. This led to Lindberg’s biggest achievement of all. In the early months if 1927, Lindberg decided to act on an idea he had been contemplating. He had a goal. He would be the first man to fly across the Atlantic. Lindberg achieved that goal May 21, 1927. Who would’ve thought that like Lindberg, Christopher Columbus was a restless spirit too? Columbus began sailing at the age of 14, and as he grew, historians say that he began to grow bored of the normal life in Spain. One day, Columbus decided that he would attempt something that, he believed no man had done before; he would find a faster way to travel to Indonesia by traveling west. Instead of finding the Indies, he found the North American continent and the Caribbean Islands. Even though he didn’t achieve his initial goal, Columbus started something every man will never forget. He started the colonization of America. In addition to achieving amazing goals, these men both faced many obstacles that loomed in their path. Lindbergh’s chances of flying across the Atlantic were minuscule compared others in 1926. It seemed as if no one would fund the determined airman, but inally in early 1927, Louisiana businessmen gave a generous amount of money with the condition that Lindbergh names his plane the “Spirit of St. Louis” (Keegan). Lindbergh, filled with enthusiasm, eagerly continued the
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Lindbergh’s piloting skills weren’t just a given. Charles studied mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin before moving to Nebraska and making his first solo flight(“Charles Augustus Lindbergh.”)! Columbus sailing skills weren’t a given either, but Christopher didn’t need to know how to fly an airplane or the engineering behind it. He needed to understand the engineering behind ships and how they were made. There is one thing both men needed: navigation skills. No matter the differences between the voyages (the number of days, how much food, and people skills) both had to know how to navigate on land, air, and
Lindbergh’s piloting skills weren’t just a given. Charles studied mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin before moving to Nebraska and making his first solo flight(“Charles Augustus Lindbergh.”)! Columbus sailing skills weren’t a given either, but Christopher didn’t need to know how to fly an airplane or the engineering behind it. He needed to understand the engineering behind ships and how they were made. There is one thing both men needed: navigation skills. No matter the differences between the voyages (the number of days, how much food, and people skills) both had to know how to navigate on land, air, and