Cleveland has a long history of entertaining its residents. The city continues to host hundreds of annual celebrations and festivities, but once upon a time, those festivities were genuinely dangerous. One such event resulted in an airplane crash, and the memories of billowing black smoke still hang over the city like a ghost.
The National Air Races first came to Cleveland in 1929, and locals were enthused to see them return 11 more times.
Richard/Flickr
The races drew in thousands, particularly with a kick-off parade that brought over 100,000 fans to Euclid Avenue.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: AirShow1933-041.jpg
Celebrities came to Cleveland, including the likes of Amelia Earhart, to participate in races.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: AirShow1933-019.jpg
And locals loved watching the series of races each year, particularly the closed-course races.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: AirShow1933-010.jpg
Though piloting was seen as glamorous at the time, crashes were not uncommon.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: airrace1936-001.jpg
While most of the crashes did not result in any casualties (like the one pictured here), one, in particular, resulted in a tragedy that Clevelanders can never forget.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: subjectA006.jpg
In 1949, a pilot named Bill Odom took off with the intention of bringing home a trophy. Sadly, his P-51 WW II fighter plane crashed.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: air001
The spectators at the event may have been enamored by the sight of gorgeous planes as he went down, but when Odom crashed into a house in Berea, the smoke was undoubtedly visible. The crash resulted in his own passing, as well as the death of a mother and a child.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: Air29-003.jpg
In 1949, many Cleveland area municipalities banned air races, jarred by the horrific tragedy. The event went on hiatus until the 1960s, at which time Cleveland introduced its own (usually race-free) air show.
Richard/Flickr
Moments of a crash during the races have been captured on film and shared by George L Graham on YouTube. While it’s not clear if this is the infamous 1949 crash, the video shows what spectators likely saw when Odom’s plane went down.
Richard/Flickr
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: AirShow1933-041.jpg
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: AirShow1933-019.jpg
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: AirShow1933-010.jpg
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: airrace1936-001.jpg
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: subjectA006.jpg
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: air001
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press Identifier: Air29-003.jpg
For more local history, check out these photos from Cleveland’s past.
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