Thomas Etholen Selfridge

Thomas Etholen Selfridge (HM1CD3)

Location: Arlington, VA 22211 Arlington County
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 52.907', W 77° 4.939'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 491 views
Inscription
First military officer in the world to pilot an airplane, solo, in flight
May 19, 1908
Hammondsport, New York

First person in the world to lose his life as the result of an airplane accident
September 17, 1908
Fort Myer, Virginia

Born in San Francisco, California February 8, 1882; graduated from the United States Military Academy, 1903; First Lieutenant, Field Artillery. Assigned to the Signal Corps for aeronautic duties, United States Army. Lt. Selfridge had enthusiastic interest and extended experience in aeronautics. In 1907 he ascended 168 feet in a large tetrahedral kite developed by Alexander Graham Bell. Lt. Selfridge made a number of balloon ascensions, qualified as pilot of the Army's first dirigible airship. Studied the science of flight. Participated in the design of four airplanes and wrote detailed accounts of aviation progress. He was age 26 when he died. Had he lived he would have been one of our army's most brilliant leaders in aeronautics. He was buried with full military honors in nearby Arlington Cemetery.

Dedicated by the Early Birds of Aviation
as a memorial to Lieutenant Selfridge
and to all who have sacrificed their lives in the development of human flight

October 29, 1970 · Sculpture by Captain Ralph S. Barnaby, USN
Details
HM NumberHM1CD3
Tags
Year Placed1970
Placed ByEarly Birds of Aviation
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 28th, 2014 at 11:15am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 319380 N 4305718
Decimal Degrees38.88178333, -77.08231667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 52.907', W 77° 4.939'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 52' 54.42" N, 77° 4' 56.34" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)703, 571
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 401-403 Sheridan Ave, Arlington VA 22211, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?