Charles A. Lindbergh was born to U.S. Congressman C. A. Lindbergh and his wife, Evangeline Land. His parents separated when he was five but never divorced, maintaining a cordial friendship. Lindbergh had a close relationship with his father, even though he lived with his mother, who had a huge influence on his life. Between the ages of eight and sixteen, he attended eleven different schools in Washington, D.C., Little Falls, and Detroit, and he later confessed that he was not a good student. Always fascinated by flying, he dropped out of the University of Wisconsin during his sophomore year to pursue a career in aviation.

Lindbergh took flying lessons and worked as a mechanic for a short while at the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation; thus he not only could fly airplanes, he knew what kept them in the air. He also had the...