| 1897 |
Carl Ben Eielson was born in Hatton, North Dakota |
| 1918 |
Learned to fly when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps |
| 1922 |
Accepted an offer to teach at the high school in Fairbanks but soon recognized the potential for aviation
in Alaska and went to work as the sole pilot for the Farthest North Aviation Company |
| 1924 |
Awarded the first Airmail postal contract in Alaska to deliver mail between Fairbanks and McGrath |
| 1925 |
Australian explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins asks Eielson to be his Chief pilot for the Arctic expeditions
in 1926 and 1927 |
| 1928 |
Wilkins and Eielson were the first to fly the 2,200 mile route over the polar cap from the north coast
of Alaska to Spitzbergen, Norway. The feat earned Eielson the Distinguished Flying Cross and the
1928 Harmon Trophy for the greatest
American aviation accomplishment of the year. |
| 1929 |
Returned to Fairbanks and helped found Alaska Airways Incorporated. On November 9, 1929, at the age of 32,
Carl Ben Eielson along with his mechanic Earl Borland died when their Hamilton Metalplane
crashed near North Cape, Siberia while they were attempting to rescue both crew and cargo of
the ice-bound ship, the Nanuk |
| 1930 |
After more than 2 months and a multi-national effort, Eielson's crash site was found and his body
returned to his hometown for burial |
| 1948 |
On January 13, 1948, the U.S. Air Force redesignated Mile 26 airfield as Eielson Air Force Base |
| 1985 |
Inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame |
| |
beneielson.com
Wikipedia - Carl Ben Eielson |
