August 16, 1927: tragic Dole Derby begins

On this day in 1927, the Dole Derby began – a race from California to Hawaii that would end in disaster for several crews.

On the heels of Charles Lindbergh’s successful solo transatlantic flight a few months earlier, pineapple czar James Dole offered $25,000 to the first aircraft that could fly to Honolulu from Oakland, a distance of around 2,400 miles.

Around 100,000 showed up on August 16 to watch the eight planes take off. (Several more had signed up, but had either crashed in the days before the race, two fatally, or had been deemed unsafe.) Only two made it to Hawaii – Woolaroc and Aloha – while three planes vanished without a trace.

For more, visit the State of Hawaii’s website.

Image: The Pride of Los Angeles, which crashed on the way to the race. San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive.