He won the world's top air races, pioneered blind flying, led the most daring WWII bomber raid, and commanded three air forces — then lived to 96.
James Harold 'Jimmy' Doolittle (1896–1993) was one of the most accomplished aviation figures of the 20th century. He grew up in Nome, Alaska, where he earned a reputation as a boxer before discovering aviation, and went on to earn the first doctorate in aeronautics ever awarded in the United States — from MIT in 1925 — making him as much scientist as pilot.
Doolittle's peacetime flying achievements were extraordinary. In 1922 he made the first cross-country flight across America in under 24 hours. In 1927 he performed the first outside loop, a maneuver thought to be fatal. His most lasting contribution came in 1929, when he pioneered 'blind flying' — completing a full takeoff, flight, and landing using instruments alone — making all-weather aviation practical for the first time.
When World War II came, Doolittle was recalled to active duty and given command of one of the most audacious missions in military history: the April 18, 1942 raid on Tokyo. Flying modified B-25 bombers off an aircraft carrier — a feat never attempted before — he led the first attack on the Japanese home islands, electrifying American morale just four months after Pearl Harbor.
Doolittle expected to be court-martialed after the raid, having lost all 16 aircraft and failed to reach his designated landing fields in China. Instead, President Roosevelt awarded him the Medal of Honor and promoted him two full grades to Brigadier General — skipping an entire rank. It was one of the fastest promotions in U.S. military history.
His wartime command responsibilities expanded dramatically after the raid. Doolittle commanded the Twelfth Air Force over North Africa, the Fifteenth Air Force over the Mediterranean, and finally the Eighth Air Force over Europe — the largest air force in history, responsible for the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany.
Doolittle never stopped serving. He retired from the Air Force in 1959, was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1967, and in 1985 — 43 years after the Tokyo Raid — President Reagan promoted him to full General. He died in 1993 at 96, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife, Josephine, to whom he was married for 71 years.