Charles A. Lindbergh Dinner Menu

This collection consists of one menu (program booklet) from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America, Inc. dinner held at the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria on June 16, 1927, commemorating Charles A. Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight.

On May 21, 1927, Charles Augustus Lindbergh (1902-1974) completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in history, flying his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis (r/n N-X-211) 5,810 kilometers (3,610 miles) between Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, and Paris, France, in 33 hours, 30 minutes. With this flight, Lindbergh won the $25,000 prize offered by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first aviator to fly an aircraft directly across the Atlantic between New York and Paris. When he landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, Lindbergh became a world hero who would remain in the public eye for decades. Following his historic New York to Paris flight, Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis returned to the United States aboard the USS Memphis, arriving at Washington, D. C. on June 11, 1927. Two days later, on June 13, he flew in the Spirit of St. Louis to New York City where he was honored with a tickertape parade. Celebrations continued on June 14 with the "WE" banquet at the Hotel Commodore sponsored by the Mayor's Committee on Receptions. On June 16, Orteig presented the prize check to Lindbergh during a tea held at the Hotel Brevoort. Later that evening Lindbergh proceeded on to a dinner held in his honor at the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria by the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America. The Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America, Inc. was a national aircraft industry trade organization incorporated in New York State in 1919 and formally organized in 1921 to promote the business of aviation. They are perhaps best known for their publication Aircraft Year Book, issued annually from 1919 through 1960. The Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, on Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, New York City, well known for being the site of numerous dinners and balls, was demolished in 1929.