The Bell X-1 was a rocket engine-powered aircraft that on 14th October 1947 became the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight. Piloted by USAF Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager and nicknamed "Glamorous Glennis" after his wife, it was dropped from the bomb-bay of a B-29 and reached Mach 1.06 (700 miles / 1127 kms per hour) at an altitude of 13000 metres (46000 feet), thus being the first aircraft to go supersonic.
This aircraft is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, USA.
