1947Reputable sourceWell documented
Breaking the Sound Barrier
On the timeline · around 1947 ·
What happened
On 14 October 1947, over the California desert, U.S. Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager flew the rocket-powered Bell X-1 'Glamorous Glennis' faster than the speed of sound — the first piloted supersonic flight. Air-launched from a B-29 bomber, he reached Mach 1.06.
Why it matters
Breaking the sound barrier proved that aircraft could fly supersonically and safely, opening the door to a new era of jet-powered and supersonic aviation.