Simple Farm Boy
Born in rural Wisconsin, Richard Bong grew up a simple farm boy with his head in the clouds. The future pilot was the oldest of nine children born to a Swedish father, Carl Bong, and an American mother, Dora. Like many pilots, Bong was intrigued by aviation from a young age.
Photo by GBM Historical Images / Shutterstock
During his presidency, Calvin Coolidge loved spending time fishing in Northern Wisconsin so much that he turned Superior Central High School into the “summer White House.” Just about every day, an airplane delivering the President’s mail would fly over the Bong family farm. At eight years old, Bong would look up at the sky and dream of becoming a pilot one day.