It Happened Today in New York City

On February 15, 1918, dancer Vernon Castle was killed in an airplane accident. Together with his wife Irene, Castle had become an enormously popular ballroom and theatre dancer. Performing on Broadway, in vaudeville, and in silent movies, Vernon and Irene Castle collaborated with musical masters such as Irving Berlin and James Reese Europe. When World War I broke out, Vernon Castle got his pilot’s certificate and joined the Royal Flying Corps, completing over 300 combat missions. Over Benbrook Field in Fort Worth, Texas, he crashed to the ground to avoid collision with another plane during a routine training flight and died from his injuries. He was 30 years old.

• Posted in: Almanac