There was never a dull moment with Trinidadian Hubert Fauntleroy Julian, who came to the world’s attention as the Black Eagle.
Julian is regarded as either the first black man to get his pilot’s license or one of the earliest and as a supporter of Marcus Garvey and a showman, he flew his plane over rallies for Garvey, performing aerial stunts.
He would make one more jump that year before teaming up with aviator Clarence Chamberlin who, in addition to teaching him how to truly handle an airplane, flew him up above Harlem where Julian parachuted several times.
In 1931, Julian became the first person of African descent to fly coast to coast in the United States.
Julian, the aviator, military commander, marketer, spy, showman and cultural icon died quietly at the Veterans’ Hospital in the Bronx, New York, on February 19, 1983.
