Who is the first man to break the sound barrier?

On Oct. 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier. He flew a Bell X-1 rocket-plane, which was deployed over Rogers Dry Lake in southern California.

The test craft, named Glamorous Glennis, was flown to an altitude of 25,000 feet then released through the bomb bay doors of a B-29. After climbing to 42,000 feet, Yeager re-lit a third chamber of the plane's four-chamber engine sending him to 43,000 feet and a speed of Mach 1.06, or 700 mph. When his flight was declassified in June 1948, he was awarded the Collier Trophy for outstanding achievement in aviation.