Eugene Bullard was the first black American fighter pilot — and he never flew for the United States. His countless feats of bravery in World War I are well-documented. His valor and courage are legendary, and he is one of the greatest Americans that you never heard of. He went from being a runaway to a boxer to a fighter pilot, all before he was 25 years old.

Bullard was born in 1895 in Columbus, Georgia. He ran away several times during his youth — apparently, he had a wanderlust spirit about him. In 1912, he boarded a German freighter and found his way to Scotland. Eventually settling in London, he found work as a boxer and a performer in an entertainment troupe known as Belle Davis’s Freedman Pickaninnies. The following year, he relocated to Paris after a boxing match. He fell in love with the city, the people, and the culture. He settled there as a prizefighter.
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