The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Around The World Record

On June 23, 1931, Wiley Post and his navigator, Harold Gatty, took off in their single engine monoplane, the Willie Mae, on their attempt to beat the record for flying around the world.  They succeeded by returning their starting point on July 1, after 8 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes.  The previous speed record was set by the dirigible, Graf Zeppelin, in 1929 with a time of 21 days.  Post and Gatty were the first to set the record in a fixed wing aircraft.

The People History also notes that Lena Horne recorded the "St. Louis Blues" on this date in 1941.
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