Eddie Rickenbacker

Born: October 8, 1890 Columbus, Ohio
Died: July 27, 1973 (aged 82), Zurich, Switzerland

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation. During his lifetime, Rickenbacker worked with many influential civilian and military leaders. He had keen insight into technology, and vision for future improvements.

What do you know about Eddie Rickenbacker? Ace this quick quiz.

1. In what was to become one of the defining characteristics of Rickenbacker's life, he nearly died many times in events ranging from an early run-in with a horse-drawn carriage, to a botched surgery, to airplane crashes. His first near-death experience occurred when he was in the "Horsehead Gang". He lived near a mine, and they decided to ride a cart down the slope. It tipped over and almost crushed them.

• Fact or Myth?

2. Rickenbacker became a fighter pilot during World War I. His squadron was known as th 'Hat-in-the-Ring'. What squadron was he a member of?

• 15th Fighter Squadron
• 64th Aero Squadron
• 94th Aero Squadron

3. When did Rickenbacker shot down his first plane?

• April 29, 1917
• April 29, 1918
• April 29, 1919

4. Rickenbacker's 26 victories constituted an American record that stood until World War II. In World War II, who become the American Ace of Aces?

• Charles Yeager
• Frank McGuire
• Richard Bong

5. On September 24, 1918, now a captain, he was named commander of the squadron, and on the following day, he shot down two more German planes, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. When was he awarded he medal?

• 1918
• 1931
• 1945

6. When did he claim his 26th and final plane?

• July 4, 1918
• September 1, 1918
• October 30, 1918

7. In 1922, who did Rickenbacker marry?

• Adelaide Frost
• Ginger Hutton
• Betty Grable

8. The B-17D, 40-3089, in which he was flying went off course hundreds of miles from its first scheduled stop at Canton Island. The pilots ditched the plane in the Pacific Ocean, dangerously close to Japanese-held enemy territory. For 24 days, Rickenbacker, his friend and business partner, and the crew drifted at sea without food or water aside from an occasional fish and rain.  The press reported that Rickenbacker had died. Navy pilots rescued the surviving members of the crew, suffering from exposure, dehydration, and starvation, on November 13, 1942, off the coast of Nukufetau near Samoa.

• Fact or Myth?

9. While in Switzerland seeking medical treatment for Adelaide, he died on July 23, 1973 in Zürich. What was the cause of his death?

• Stroke
• Cancer
• Aircraft crash

10. Where is Eddie Rickenbacker buried?

• Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana,
• Saint Joseph Cemetery, Lockbourne, Franklin County, Ohio,
• Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio

Answers

• 1. Fact
• 2. 94th Aero Squadron
• 3. April 29, 1918
• 4. Richard Bong
• 5. 1931
• 6. October 30, 1918
• 7. Adelaide Frost
• 8. Fact
• 9. Stroke
• 10. Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio

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