Marie Marvingt(1875 — 1963)
Marie Marvingt
France
5 min read
Marie Marvingt (1875-1963) was a French athlete, aviator, and journalist nicknamed “the fiancée of danger.” A pioneer of aviation and mountaineering, she conceived the idea of the air ambulance and was one of the most decorated women in the history of France.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Nicknamed “the fiancée of danger,” she piled up athletic feats (mountaineering, swimming, cycling, ballooning) at the turn of the 20th century
- In 1910, she earned her aeroplane pilot's licence, becoming one of the first women aviators in the world
- As early as 1910, she promoted the concept of the air ambulance to evacuate the wounded, a cause she would champion all her life
- During the First World War, she disguised herself as a man to fight at the front before being assigned to aviation
- The most decorated woman in France, she received notably the Legion of Honour; she was still flying helicopters and jets in the 1950s
Works & Achievements
First crossing by a woman aboard the balloon “L'Étoile filante,” a resounding feat of ballooning.
Refused as an official entrant, she nonetheless completed the entire course route, a rare achievement even among men at the time.
She became one of the first women to earn a pilot's license in France, a pioneer of women's aviation.
A visionary idea for the aerial evacuation of the wounded, at the origin of modern medical aviation.
Participation in missions at the front, rewarded with the Croix de guerre.
Development and spread of techniques for medical evacuation by airplane in North Africa.
In her eighties, she flew in jet aircraft and helicopters and rode long distances by bicycle, embodying a lifetime of challenges.
Anecdotes
Nicknamed “the fiancée of danger,” Marie Marvingt is said to have practiced more than twenty different sports: swimming, mountaineering, cycling, fencing, shooting, skiing, bobsleigh… It is told that she could swim long distances, climb mountain peaks, and pilot balloons as well as airplanes.
In 1908, refused entry to the Tour de France cycling race because she was a woman, she decided to ride the course anyway, behind the official competitors. Of the 114 male starters, only 36 finished the race — yet she completed it too.
As early as 1910, Marie Marvingt conceived of the “air ambulance,” an aircraft capable of going to fetch the wounded from the battlefield to evacuate them quickly. This pioneering idea makes her one of the inspirations behind modern medical aviation.
During the First World War, disguised as a man, she managed to serve for a time at the front in the infantry before being discovered. She then obtained permission to fly on bombing missions, becoming one of the few women to carry out this type of operation.
Remaining active well into old age, she is said to have cycled the distance between Nancy and Paris at over 80 years old, and to have taken the controls of a helicopter so as not to give up her passion for flight.
Primary Sources
Marie Marvingt earned her aeroplane pilot's certificate, becoming the third French woman to hold such a license.
Setting off from Nancy aboard the balloon “L'Étoile filante”, Marie Marvingt reached England, achieving a crossing then unprecedented for a female aeronaut.
She proposed the use of specially fitted aeroplanes to quickly transport and evacuate the wounded from the front to hospitals.
Awarded the Croix de guerre for her service at the front, she ranks among the most decorated women in the history of France.
Key Places
Town in the Cantal where Marie Marvingt was born in 1875.
City in Lorraine where she grew up and where she carried out many of her sporting and aviation exploits.
Town near Nancy where she died in 1963.
Mountain range where she practiced mountaineering and skiing, climbing several peaks.
Country where she promoted and developed air ambulance services in the 1930s.
