Beschreibung:

Biltmore menu in 8.5 x 11 in. folder with satin cord tie. Front with portrait of Byrd in laurel wreath, with flag, olive (?) branch, ski plane with "Byrd Antarctic Expedition" on side and ship with penguins in front. "Dinner to Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, U.S.N. given by Charles V. Bob / Monday, July seventh / nineteen thirty / The Biltmore." In lower right with "All good wishes to Louis Wiley my friend. Dick Byrd." Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (1888-1957) was a United States naval officer who led expeditions to both the North and South Poles. He claimed to have reached both by air, but (as usual) there is some dispute as to whether or not he really accomplished this, especially the North Pole. After Byrd returned from his flight to the North Pole (1926), he became a national hero. Congress awarded both he and his co-pilot, Floyd Bennett, the Medal of Honor. His new-found recognition gained him funding for his trip to the South Pole. Second group consists of two teletypes headed "Times NY", each signed "Ochimes"(?). The first "Ten Twenty-one Unknown Airplane over LeBourget Believed Lindbergh Excitement." Received 5:20(?) May 21 1927 (accounting for the 5 hour time difference from Europe to New York). Second teletype "Flash - 10.24 Lindbergh Arrived." (Mistakenly typed "1928," probably in all the excitement to get the news first!) Each on approx. 8 x 11 in. brownish teletype paper with serrated top and bottom edges where torn off the roll. Byrd was finishing repairs on his Fokker Trimotor "America, " which had crashed on a practice take-off, when the first trans-Atlantic flight was completed by Charles Lindbergh. Byrd and his crew went ahead and made another trans-Atlantic flight. They could not land in Paris because of cloud cover, so turned back and crashed (again) on the coastal strip that would become known as Omaha Beach (no fatalities on this occasion). They were welcomed as heroes in France and awarded the French Legion of Honor. On his return, Byrd was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the Secretary of the Navy. Interestingly, Lindbergh applied to fly in Byrd's mission, but reportedly his application arrived too late. And Byrd's non-stop transatlantic flight was a bit too late. Lindbergh's achievement has been described by Elinor Smith, the 1930 Best Woman Aviator, as being even more significant for its long-term effect on aviation and even American culture than the walk on the moon.1 Everyone wanted to fly, or invest in airplanes, etc. In 1928 Byrd put together another team to attempt to reach the South Pole. They began by constructing a base camp, "Little America." That first summer they conducted scientific expeditions by snowshoe, snowmobile, dog-sled and airplane (he took three with him). The second summer, on 28 November 1929, he made the first flight to the South Pole. At the end of summer, on June 18, 1930, they returned to America. The Biltmore dinner honored this achievement. Byrd made a second expedition in 1934, this time spending 5 winter months. He returned in 1939-1940, for the first time with US government backing. Then came WWII. Byrd served mostly in an advisory role during the war (by then he was over 50 years old). After the war, an expedition involving over 4,000 people and two dozen aircraft plus over a dozen Navy support ships was launched. Then in 1955-1956 he was briefly involved in establishing the permanent bases at McMurdo Sound, the Bay of Whales and the South Pole. Byrd died in his sleep in 1957 at his home in Boston and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 1 As cited in "Charles Lindbergh." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh, accessed 8-11-2016. Louis Wiley was born in Homell, Steuben County, NY in 1869. The family moved shortly after to Mt. Sterling, KY, then to Ft. Wayne, IN. Even as a child, he left an impression on all with whom he came in contact as energetic, enthusiastic and always trying to do his best. He decided in childhood that he wanted to be in the ne