Frederick Osterheldt (1890 - 1966)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Frederick's lifetime.

In 1890, in the year that Frederick Osterheldt was born, on October 9th, in Satory, France, the first fixed-wing, steam powered aircraft flew. "Ader Éole" flew, uncontrolled, for about 160 ft. at a height of just under 8 inches off the ground.

In 1909, Frederick was 19 years old when explorer Robert Peary, a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, claimed to have been the first to have reached the geographic North Pole. His claim has been disputed for over a century - some say that he ended up 60 miles from the North Pole. Peary was the only navigator on his team and he didn't submit his records for public review.

In 1929, he was 39 years old when on October 29th (Black Tuesday), the stock market crashed in the United States. Billions of dollars were lost and some investors committed suicide as a result, having lost their fortunes. This ushered in the 12 year, worldwide Great Depression.

In 1955, at the age of 65 years old, Frederick was alive when on September 30th, movie star James Dean, 24, died in a car accident. He was headed in his new Porsche 550 to a race in Salinas California when, traveling at 85 mph, he collided with a 1950 Ford Tudor, also speeding, driven by a 23 year old college student. Dean died, his passenger and the other driver survived.

In 1966, in the year of Frederick Osterheldt's passing, on September 8th, the first Star Trek episode, "The Man Trap," was broadcast on NBC. The plot concerned a creature that sucked salt from human bodies. The original series only aired for 3 seasons due to low ratings.