Bessie Coleman

Date of Birth: January 26, 1892

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Date of Death: April 30, 1926

Biography

Bessie Coleman was a pioneering American aviator and the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license. She was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, to a family of sharecroppers. Despite facing significant racial and gender barriers, Coleman developed an early interest in aviation and determined to become a pilot. After being denied entry to American flight schools due to her race and gender, she learned French and moved to France to pursue her dream. In 1921, she earned her pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, making her the first African American woman and the first Native American to hold an international pilot’s license. Coleman returned to the United States with the goal of opening a flight school to train African American aviators. She became a highly popular public speaker and performed daring stunts at air shows, earning the nickname “Queen Bess.” Her performances and advocacy broke significant barriers and inspired future generations of African American aviators. Tragically, her life was cut short when she died in a plane crash on April 30, 1926, during a rehearsal for an aerial show in Jacksonville, Florida.

5 Interesting Facts about Bessie Coleman

1. Bessie Coleman was the first African American woman and the first Native American to earn an international pilot’s license.

2. She studied French in order to attend aviation school in France, as no American flight schools would admit her due to her race and gender.

3. Coleman performed as a stunt pilot in numerous air shows, often facing and overcoming significant racial and gender discrimination.

4. She had a dream of opening a flight school to train African American pilots, though she did not live to see it realized.

5. Bessie Coleman’s nickname “Queen Bess” reflected her status as a pioneering and daring aviator.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Bessie Coleman

1. “The air is the only place free from prejudices.”

2. “I refused to take no for an answer.”

3. “I decided blacks should not have to experience the difficulties I had faced, so I decided to open a flying school and teach other black women to fly.”

4. “You’ve never lived till you’ve flown!”

5. “I knew we had no aviators, neither men nor women, and I knew the race needed to be represented along this most important line, so I thought it my duty to risk my life to learn aviation.”