PILOT

Joseph Kittinger

1928 - 2022

Photo of Joseph Kittinger

Icon of person Joseph Kittinger

Joseph William Kittinger II (July 27, 1928 – December 9, 2022) was an officer in the United States Air Force (USAF) who served from 1950 to 1978, and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank of colonel. He held the world record for the highest skydive—102,800 feet (31.3 km)—from 1960 until 2012. He participated in the Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior high-altitude balloon flight projects from 1956 to 1960 and was the first man to fully witness the curvature of the Earth. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Joseph Kittinger has received more than 993,473 page views. His biography is available in 32 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 29 in 2019). Joseph Kittinger is the 17th most popular pilot (up from 20th in 2019), the 2,270th most popular biography from United States (up from 2,433rd in 2019) and the 6th most popular American Pilot.

Memorability Metrics

  • 990k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 56.98

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 32

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.14

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.22

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among PILOTS

Among pilots, Joseph Kittinger ranks 17 out of 71. Before him are Ivan Kozhedub, Hermann Graf, Chesley Sullenberger, Chuck Yeager, Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi, and Marina Raskova. After him are Valery Chkalov, René Fonck, Mathias Rust, Claire Lee Chennault, Janina Lewandowska, and Vladimir Ilyushin.

Most Popular Pilots in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1928, Joseph Kittinger ranks 137. Before him are Humberto Maturana, Juan María Bordaberry, Héctor Rial, Cy Twombly, James Randi, and Victor Stănculescu. After him are Ulric Neisser, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Vidal Sassoon, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Henry Silva, and Otto F. Kernberg. Among people deceased in 2022, Joseph Kittinger ranks 114. Before him are Andy Fletcher, Gal Costa, Jozef Tomko, Hermann Nitsch, Ivan Reitman, and Gary Brooker. After him are Paula Rego, Börje Salming, Paul Sorvino, Josef Abrhám, Henry Silva, and Christine McVie.

Others Born in 1928

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2022

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Joseph Kittinger ranks 2,270 out of 20,380. Before him are Baruch Goldstein (1956), Carol Gilligan (1936), Daniel Carleton Gajdusek (1923), Othniel Charles Marsh (1831), John Conyers (1929), and Ray Harryhausen (1920). After him are Albert R. Broccoli (1909), Tom Petty (1950), John Bates Clark (1847), Eazy-E (1964), Kamehameha II (1797), and Jack Johnson (1878).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among PILOTS In United States

Among pilots born in United States, Joseph Kittinger ranks 6. Before him are Charles Lindbergh (1902), Amelia Earhart (1897), Francis Gary Powers (1929), Chesley Sullenberger (1951), and Chuck Yeager (1923). After him are Claire Lee Chennault (1890), Bessie Coleman (1892), Jacqueline Cochran (1906), Jerrie Cobb (1931), Wally Funk (1939), and Cornelia Fort (1919).

American born Pilots

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous