Eddie Rickenbacker’s love of speed started in the form of auto racing. Rickenbacker raised the money to buy Indianapolis Speedway in 1927, where he had raced in the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. His attention turned to airplanes during WWI, when he enlisted in the army and after aerial gunnery training was assigned to the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron, quickly becoming an ace fighter. During WWII, Rickenbacker and his B-17 crew were lost at sea for 24 days, after their B-17 overshot its mark. He credited his wife, who convinced General “Hap” Arnold to extend the search for another week, with saving his life and the lives of his crew. Rickenbacker later went onto own Eastern Airlines.
