General Reuben C. Hood congratulates Captain Geln Edwards and Lieutenant Colonel Harold E. Warden after their record-setting transcontinental flight, 8 December 1945. ( © Bettman/CORBIS.)
08 Dec 1945, Washington, DC, USA — Original caption: 12/08/1945-Washington, DC- Streamlined for the Atomic Age, America’s first post-war bomber flashed across the nation today in 5 hours, 17 minutes, and 34 seconds, the fastest time in history. Photo shows (L to R) General Reuben C. Hood, Deputy Chief of Air Staff; Captain Glen W. Edwards, co-pilot; and Lieutenant Colonel H.E. Warden, pilot, shaking hands after the record-breaking flight, which covered a great circle distance of 2,290 miles, at an average speed of 432 miles per hour. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS