This Day in Washington History
June 20, 1937
Soviet pilots Valerii Chkalov, Georgi Baidukov, and Alexander Beliakov completed a 63-hour flight from Moscow, over the North Pole, to Fort Vancouver. The post commander, General George C. Marshall (later the engineer of the european Marshall Plan) greeted the aircraft. The trio had intended to land in Oakland, California before being forced to land on account of low fuel. Their journey claimed the distinction of being the first flight ever to cross the North Pole.
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