Want a distraction from Valentine's Day? Consider this fun February anniversary: Feb. 18 marks the 90th anniversary of the first cow to fly in an airplane.
On Feb. 18, 1930, "Elm Farm Ollie" was led on a ramp in front of a sign that read "Guernseys are always ahead" and loaded onto a Ford Trimotor aircraft. According to a video on the website historypod.net, the flight was a stunt during the International Air Exposition held in St. Louis.
Elm Farm Ollie was born and raised on Sunny Meads Farms in Bismarck, Missouri, and was chosen for her unusually high milk production and calm temperament. The flight lasted 72 miles and Ollie was milked during the trip, producing 24 quarts; the milk was then sealed in paper cartons and parachuted down to the air show crowd below. Rumor had it that legendary pilot Charles Lindbergh was among the recipients.
The flight was billed as part of a study on the effects of flying on livestock, and also to demonstrate aircraft stability. And post-flight, Ollie was given the nickname "The Sky Queen."
