Similarities Between Christopher Columbus And Charles Lindbergh

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The majority of Americans know who Christopher Columbus is and his contributions to history. However, compared to Columbus, many people are unaware of the extraordinary accomplishments made by Charles Lindbergh four hundred years later. Despite living in two entirely different time periods, Christopher Columbus and Charles Lindbergh had similar goals, challenges, and skills essential to their success and achievements. These two men, while alike in many ways, also have a few distinctive differences. First of all, both men found interest in what would later be their life’s work when they were children. Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa in 1451 and at a young age, he would attentively watch as ships traded along the European Coast …show more content…
At only eighteen years old, Lindbergh studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin; however, he became bored and left after two years to pursue his interest in aviation. As a result of this, he became a barnstormer which was a pilot who performed daredevil acts at fairs (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). He enjoyed flying so much that he enlisted in the United States Army as a pilot in 1924 (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). No more than a year later, Lindbergh graduated top in his class from the Army’s flight-training school at Brooks and Kelly Fields (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). Following this accomplishment, the Robertson Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis took notice in Lindbergh’s talents and hired him to fly mail between St, Louis and Chicago (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). Lindbergh’s love for flying was obvious and the more experience he gained, the bigger his goals became. Raymond Orteig was a New York hotel owner who offered $25,000 in 1919 to anyone who could fly nonstop to Paris from New York (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). By 1927, many men had been killed or injured in attempting to accomplish this, but no one had managed to complete the challenge until Charles Lindbergh (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). Nearly four hundred years earlier, men were only beginning to explore the Americas and have the ships capable of making the long journey, but …show more content…
Columbus and Lindbergh both needed to find supporters who would supply them with the money and resources required for their journeys. At first, Columbus sought support from King John II of Portugal who rejected the idea because he believed it was impossible (“September 8, 1492 - The Journey Begins”). He continued his search for a patron and fortunately the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella funded his trip. Lindbergh sought the help of nine businessmen from St. Louis to finance the cost of a plane (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”). Then he chose a manufacturer to build a special plane in which he helped to design himself and named it The Spirit of St. Louis (“Charles Lindbergh Biography”).
The explorer from Italy and the aviator from America shared many skills that were essential to their success. Knowledge of tools and navigation equipment was also essential in order to steer and pilot their way across the Atlantic Ocean.
In conclusion, Christopher Columbus and Charles Lindbergh shared many similarities in wanting to accomplish something many people thought impossible. They also both faced challenges they needed to combat and certain skills to achieve their goals. While a four hundred years difference impacted the things Columbus and Lindbergh could do compared to each other, both of their accomplishments are still extravagant