February 13, 1923. Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, was born in Myra, West Virginia on this date in 1923.
Yaeger enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September 1941, at the age of 18. He fought in World War II before being assigned to fly high-performance aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base in 1947.
On October 14, 1947, Yeager piloted a plane called Glamorous Glennis to Mach 1.06, just over the speed of sound.
Dubbed the fastest man alive, he also won the prestigious Collier Trophy in aviation even as he continued setting speed records.
The plane in which he broke the sound barrier is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Yeager’s adventures were popularized in a 1980s satirical book and movie, both called The Right Stuff.
He currently lives California.
Bottom line: On February 13, 1923, Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, was born in Myra, West Virginia.