Air racing
b. 1910, Pensacola, FL
d. Aug. 9, 1980
In 1934, Cochran became the first woman to take part in the London-to-Melbourne air race and the following year she was the first to compete in the Bendix Trophy trans-continental race. She won the Bendix Trophy in 1938.
After competitive air racing lost its popularity, Cochran began competing against the clock. She was the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound, in 1957, and she set a women's air speed record of 1,429 miles an hour on May 11, 1964.
During her career, she set a total of 33 national and international air speed records.
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
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