This Day in History: 1929-08-18

The Women’s Air Derby was the first official women-only plane race in the United States, taking place during the 1929 National Air Races. Humorist Will Rogers referred to it as the Powder Puff Derby, the name by which the race is most commonly known. 19 pilots took off from Santa Monica, California on August 18, 1929 (another left the next day) and 15 made it to Cleveland, Ohio, nine days later.