February 23, 1909 Mabel Bell, wife of Alexander Graham Bell, funded the first airplane flight in Canada. On this date John McCurdy lifted off from Lake Bras d’Or, Nova Scotia, flying a Silver Dart sponsored by Mrs. Bell. Deaf since childhood, Mabel Bell was intensely interested in science and flight and had contributed over $35,000 of her own money to design and build “a practical flying aerodrome.”
