On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound for the first time: Mach 1.06, about 700 miles per hour.

On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Piloted by U.S. Air Force Capt. Charles E. 'Chuck' Yeager, the X-1 reached about 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) per hour, Mach 1.06, at an altitude of 13,000 meters (43,000 feet), the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum says.

The X-1 flew a total of 78 times. On March 26, 1948, with Yeager at the controls, it reached 957 miles per hour, Mach 1.45, at 71,900 feet, the highest speed and altitude reached by a crewed airplane up to that time.