There’s a jump rope rhyme about Lincoln Beachey (1887 – 1915) one of the earliest aviators. He was the first to do many stunts while flying… until one fateful day in 1915 when his plane lost its wings while flying upside-down. He ended up landing in the San Francisco Bay and drowning.
Children soon started singing this jump-rope rhyme to commemorate him. Some kids still jump rope to it…
Lincoln Beachey thought it was a dream
To go up to Heaven in a flying machine.
The machine broke down and down he fell.
Instead of going to Heaven he went to…Lincoln Beachey thought it was a dream
To go up to Heaven in a flying machine.
The machine broke down and down he fell.
Instead of going to Heaven he went to…Ad infinitum
Photo: Beachey doing a loop above San Francisco around 1914
Beachey was so popular in his day that even Carl Sandburg wrote a poem about him……
TO BEACHEY, 1912 RIDING against the east, A veering, steady shadow Purrs the motor-call Of the man-bird Ready with the death-laughter In his throat And in his heart always The love of the big blue beyond. Only a man, A far fleck of shadow on the east Sitting at ease With his hands on a wheel And around him the large gray wings. Hold him, great soft wings, Keep and deal kindly, O wings, With the cool, calm shadow at the wheel.
Check out Radiolab's Podcast about Lincoln Beachey to learn more.
This article was posted on Monday, October 17th, 2011 at 6:18 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, English, Games Around the World, Jump Rope, Jump Rope Rhymes, Jump Rope Songs, Languages, Lincoln Beachey, Nursery Rhymes, People, Songs by Theme, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
