FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Alys McKey Bryant (née McKey; 1880–1954) was an American aviator. She was the first woman to fly on the Pacific Coast and in Canada, and one of the few female members of the Early Birds of Aviation—individuals who had solo piloted an aircraft prior to December 17, 1916. She set an altitude record for women, and trained pilots during World War I.
EARLY AVIATION CAREER
Bryant’s interest in aviation grew when she witnessed the final stop of pilot Calbraith Perry Rogers‘s cross-country flight. She began flying in 1912, when she answered a magazine advertisement offering “the ultimate in excitement”, posted by Fred Bennett of the Bennett Aero Company of The Palms, California. Bennett’s pilot, John Bryant, approved her and signed her on to his exhibition flying team as an airplane pilot. At the time of being signed on, she had never flown before, which was not uncommon during the time. Most pilots had to teach themselves to fly.
Bryant’s first paid exhibition flight took place at the Blossom Festival in Yakima, Washington, on May 3, 1913. This achievement was followed by flights at the Portland Rose Festival in Oregon and the Seattle Potlatch. While in Seattle, Bryant also set an altitude record for women, reaching 2,900 feet.
In a trip to Vancouver, she flew in an exhibition for Edward, Prince of Wales, and his brother George, Duke of York – both future Kings of England. Heading even further north, she became the first woman to fly in Canada on July 31, 1913. Her flight was part of an airshow at Minoru Park in Richmond, British Columbia. A local paper reported that she “delighted the crowd by the clever manner in which she handled the plane [in] dips, rolls, figure eights and other evolutions of a like nature.”
On May 29, 1913- the same day she performed in a Boise airshow- Alys married John Bryant. They were called “a blissfully happy and devoted young couple.”
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Why are most of the potatoes we buy at the store green? Are they poisonous?
Green potatoes seem to be showing up more and more in stores these days. The green color is the result of the potato being exposed to sunlight after protruding from the soil’s surface. The green parts are not poisonous, but they can be bitter and should be cut out of the potato before cooking.
Advice of the Day
Pick beans when pods just reveal the beans inside.
Home Hint of the Day
To treat a skin irritation, sponge the area with vinegar. If the itching stops, the condition is on the outside of the skin and has been cured. If it persists, the condition is internal, and it’s time to call the doctor.
Word of the Day
Figurehead
The figure, statue, or bust, on the prow of a ship. A person who allows his name to be used to give standing to enterprises in which he has no responsible interest or duties; a nominal, but not real, head or chief.
Puzzle of the Day
My whole is under my second and surrounds my first.(What’s the word? Each clue is a syllable!)
Waist-coat
Born
- John Ericsson (engineer) – 1803
- Theobald Smith (bacteriologist) – 1859
- Jean Dubuffet (artist) – 1901
- Primo Levi (author) – 1919
- Whitney Moore Young Jr. (civil rights activist) – 1921
- Susan Flannery (actress) – 1943
- Geraldine Chaplin (actress) – 1944
- Wesley Snipes (actor) – 1962
- J. K. Rowling (author) – 1965
- Dean Cain (actor) – 1966
- Tim Couch (football player) – 1977
Died
- Andrew Johnson (17th U.S. president) – 1875
- Robert A. Taft (politician) – 1953
Events
- George Washington signed the first United States Patent Grant to Samuel Hopkins of Pittsford, Vermont, for a new method of making Potash– 1790
- David Rittenhouse, Director of the Mint, laid the cornerstone of the building being built in Philadelphia for the U.S. Mint– 1792
- Alys McKey Bryant first woman to fly a plane in Canada– 1913
- The first automobile, a Ford Model T, was permitted into Yellowstone National Park– 1915
- The Shadow radio program first aired– 1930
- 5-pound 3-ounce white crappie caught, Enid Dam, Mississippi– 1957
- IBM released the Selectric typewriter– 1961
- U.S. probe Ranger 7 relayed first moon close-ups– 1964
- Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin became the first people to drive a vehicle on the Moon– 1971
- French became the official language of Quebec– 1974
- Former Teamsters Union president, James R. Hoffa, was reported missing– 1975
- NASA released the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1– 1976
- The ashes of astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker were deposited on the Moon– 1999
Weather
- Hail fell 12 inches deep in Scituate, Massachusetts, remaining on the ground for 30 hours– 1769
- The Edmonton Tornado struck Alberta’s capital city, killing 27 people and causing more than $250 million in damage.– 1987
- Roswell, New Mexico, set a record for monthly rainfall with 6.68 inches– 1991
COURTESY www.almanac.com
