1925 Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider (Jacques Schneider Maritime Aviation Cup) Souvenir Program

This collection consists of a souvenir program, missing its front and back covers, from the 1925 Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider (Jacques Schneider Maritime Aviation Cup) seaplane races held on October 24, 1925, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

In 1912, Jacques Schneider (1879-1928), a wealthy French industrialist and aviation enthusiast, established the Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider (Jacques Schneider Maritime Aviation Trophy), a competition to encourage the development of hydroaeroplanes (aircraft capable of taking off from and landing on the surface of the water such as seaplanes, floatplanes, and flying boats). The first race, in 1913, was held at Monaco; the rules dictated that the winner's country would host the following year's race. To retain the trophy, a competitor needed to win three races within a five-year period. Schneider's hope was that the competition would foster technical developments which would aid civil aviation, but by the 1920s the Schneider Trophy races had become speed competitions. Aircraft manufacturers Curtiss (United States), Supermarine (United Kingdom), Macchi (Italy) and others were encouraged by their native countries to develop designs specifically for the Schneider Trophy competitions. The 8th Schneider Trophy race—the first set to take place in the United States—was planned for 1924 but was postponed a year due to a lack of competitors. By 1925, aircraft specifically designed for the race were ready to compete on a triangular course laid out over the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore, Maryland. On October 26, 1925, US Army Lt. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle flew the Curtiss R3C-2 to victory for the United States with an average speed of 374 km/h (232.17 mph). The next day he flew the R3C-2 over a straight course at a world-record speed of 395 km/h (245.7 mph). A Macchi design (Macchi M.39) won the race in 1926, passing the trophy back to Italy. Supermarine designs won the 1927 (Supermarine S.5), 1929 (Supermarine S.6), and 1931 (Supermarine S.6B) competitions to permanently secure the Schneider Trophy for the United Kingdom.