Basic Facts:
Dates: January 18, 1910 - April 28, 1993
Occupation: aviator, pilot
Known for: world record for women's long distance non-stop flight
About Valentina Grizodubova:
On October 28, 1937, Valentina Grizodubova flew non-stop with Marina Raskova on an AIR-12 for a world record for women's long distance non-stop flight. On September 24-25, 1938, Grizodubova with Raskova and with Paulina Ossipenko set another world record with their a non-stop flight of 5,900 km from Moscow to Siberia in an ANT-37.
During World War II, Valentina Grizodubova commanded a bomber squadron. She also served as Chairman of the Women's Anti-Fascist Committee.
She was awarded the Soviet Hero star, Soviet Red Star, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Lenin, and wore the medal of a member of the Supreme Soviet.
An inspiration in her time and later, Valentina Grizodubova appears on a stamp of the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, the 1937 world record flight inspired a re-creation by two American women.
Note: because Russia did not move from the old-style to the new-style calendar until after Valentina Grizodubova's birth, her birthdate is sometimes listed as January 31.
1990s: American Women Repeat Historic Flight:
Tennessee Women to Fly Round the World 1998 news story just before the two American women left for their history-repeating flight.
