Rickenbacker, Eddie (1890-1973), was the leading United States air ace in World War I (1914-1918). He shot down 22 enemy planes and 4 balloons.
Edward Rickenbacher was born on Oct. 8, 1890, in Columbus, Ohio. In 1918, he changed the spelling of his family name to Rickenbacker. Before World War I, he became a professional automobile racer and won an international reputation as a racing-car driver. Rickenbacker enlisted in the Army in 1917, after the United States had entered the war. He served as a staff driver and as an engineering officer before becoming a pilot.
After the war, Rickenbacker worked with several automobile firms and was co-owner of the Indianapolis Speedway from 1927 to 1945. He served as president of Eastern Airlines from 1938 to 1959 and chairman of its board of directors from 1954 to 1963.
During World War II (1939-1945), Rickenbacker was a civilian inspector of American air bases abroad. On an inspection trip in 1942, his plane was forced down in the Pacific Ocean. Rickenbacker and six others survived on rubber rafts for 24 days before being rescued. Rickenbacker wrote about his wartime experiences in Fighting the Flying Circus (1919) and Seven Came Through: Rickenbacker’s Full Story (1943). He died on July 23, 1973.
