Classic Photos That Change The Way We View History

Tennis on the Wings of a Plane

The photograph of two men playing tennis on the wings of an airplane first appeared on a postcard in the 1920s. According to some, it was a common practice – two people playing as the plane cruised up to 60 miles an hour.

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The photo shows daredevils Gladys Roy and Ivan Unger and was taken 3,000 feet above the city of Los Angeles in November 1925. The two were “wing walkers” or “barnstormers” and they would frequently perform stunts like this, especially at state fair type events. The original caption read, “There was no umpire, and the players did not say whether they went after the balls that were batted out of bounds.”

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