She was billed as “the World’s Greatest Woman Flyer”, and she did not disappoint. She became an immediate sensation, thrilling audiences with dips and dives, barrel-rolls and loops.

For a woman to become a pilot in early 20th century America was no easy thing. And if she happened to be an African American, forget it. Yet Bessie Coleman became a world-famous aerobatic pilot, skydiver, and daredevil air show regular. She proved that people did not have to be shackled by gender or race to realise their dreams.

Born on January 26, 1892, in a family of 13, Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman experienced a childhood of unmitigated poverty and privation. It did not stop her from becoming an excellent student. Her interest in aviation was kindled by soldiers returning from First World War with wild tales of flying feats. When her brother teased her that French women were superior to African American women because they could fly, she resolved to be a pilot. There was just one catch—no American flight school would admit her. Then Robert Abbott, the wealthy owner of a Chicago newspaper, encouraged her to try her luck in France. She learnt French, scraped together a little money, and sailed for Paris in November 1920. She needed just seven months to complete the ten-month basic course on a Nieuport Type 82 biplane. And on June 15, 1921, she received the coveted international aviation licence from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the first African American woman to be so qualified. On returning home, she realised that she needed to become an aerial daredevil in order to make a living as a pilot. So in February 1922, she returned to Europe. She spent the next two months in France doing an advanced course in aviation, then left for the Netherlands to meet Anthony Fokker, one of the world’s most famous aircraft designers. She also travelled to Germany for more training.

Back in the USA, Bessie flew at her first air show on September 3, 1922, in New York. She was billed as “the World’s Greatest Woman Flyer”, and she did not disappoint. She became an immediate sensation, thrilling audiences with dips and dives, barrelrolls and loops. She used her celebrity status to make a point—there would only be non-segregated entry gates for all ticket holders, irrespective of their colour. She also dreamed of opening a flight school for African Americans, and spoke about it at every opportunity, in churches, theatres and schools.

In February 1923 came Bessie Coleman’s first accident. Her Jenny airplane’s engine unexpectedly quit and she crashed. Knocked unconscious, she received a broken leg, some cracked ribs, and multiple facial cuts. A year later, she was back in high-voltage action. She would stop at nothing to complete a difficult exploit and quickly gained a reputation for fearlessness and skill. In 1926, with the help of a wealthy businessman, Bessie made the final payment on another plane, again a Jenny. She scheduled her next performance in Jacksonville, Florida, and was billed as the star of the show. The highlight of her performance was to be a spectacular parachute jump from 2,500 feet. On April 30, 1926, the day before the event, Coleman and her mechanic, William Wills, took the aircraft up for a practice flight. Wills was piloting the plane, while Bessie sat in the rear, her seat belt unfastened, so that she could peer over the side to study the contours of the field below, where she was scheduled to jump. About ten minutes into the flight, the plane did not pull out of a dive; instead it spun. Coleman was flung out of the aircraft and died instantly as she hit the ground. The pilot was unable to regain control of the machine and it crashed, killing him on impact. The wreckage was badly burned. However, it was later discovered that an engine servicing wrench had slipped into the gearbox and jammed it, resulting in loss of control.