Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman (January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926) was an American civil aviator. Popularly known as "Queen Bess", she was the first female pilot of African American descent and the first American of any descent to hold an international pilot license.
In 1915 she heard tales from pilots who were returning home from World War I about flying in the war, and Coleman started to fantasize about being a pilot. She could not gain admission to American flight schools because she was black and a woman. Robert S. Abbott, founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender, encouraged her to study abroad.
Coleman took French language class at the Berlitz school in Chicago, and then traveled to Paris on November 20, 1920. On June 15, 1921, Coleman became not only the first American woman to earn an international aviation license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, but the first African American woman in the world to earn an aviation pilot's license.
In September 1921, she became a media sensation when she returned to the United States. "Queen Bess," as she was known, was a highly popular draw for the next five years. Invited to important events and often interviewed by newspapers, she was admired by both blacks and whites. She was often billed as "the world's greatest woman flyer" while she quickly gained a reputation as a skilled and daring pilot who would stop at nothing to complete a difficult stunt.
Bessie died April 30th, 1926 in a flight accident at the age of only 34. After her death she recieved great honors, In 1927, Bessie Coleman Aero Clubs sprang up throughout the country. On Labor Day, 1931, these clubs sponsored the first all-African American Air Show, which attracted approximately 15,000 spectators. She was also later inducted into The Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, honored with her image on a U.S. postage stamp, and was inducted into the Women Aviation Hall of Fame.
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