Black History Month Feb. 10: Bessie Coleman – 1st Black woman to earn a pilot’s license

Bessie Coleman was the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license. Because flying schools in the United States denied her entry, she taught herself French and moved to France, earning her license from France’s well-known Caudron Brother’s School of Aviation in just seven months. Coleman specialized in stunt flying and parachuting, earning a living barnstorming and performing aerial tricks.