French officers and leaders pose around a decorated taxicab in the courtyard of the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris, France, a few years after World War I. French officials surround a decorated taxicab and pose during a distinguished service ceremony. The train carriage in which the Armistice was signed, Wagon Lits Company car No. 2419D, is seen in the background (having been moved to the plaza after the signing). A French officer speaks to other officers surrounding him.
A flight around the world. A globe rotates. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge bids goodbye to army airmen. The President and Major General Mason Patrick and the fliers on a lawn of the White House, Washington DC. The journey starts from Seattle, Washington. Douglas World Cruisers ( DWC ) in flight. The DWCs parked in a bay. A forest in the background. They arrive at Chignik Bay, Alaska. The aircraft in flight. An iceberg. Lieutenant Lowell Smith stands on one of the pontoons and works with propellers on his DWC. The DWCs in flight from America to Asia. The aviators are welcomed by Japanese officials in Yetorufu, Japan. Japanese children playing in a school yard. A child has a Japanese and a U.S. flag, one in each hand. They reach Hong Kong, China. A fleet of native junks to welcome them. In Calcutta, India , a DWC taxis on water. A large number of people gather around a DWC. A crane lifts a DWC out of water. The aviators land in Constantinople. People around the aircraft. They reach Paris, France.. Aerial views of the city. Mrs. Maclaren congratulates the airmen in London, England. The crew of USS Richmond cheers the aviators. The aviators board their aircraft from a small boat. People watch as the aircraft land in Labrador, Canada. The DWCs are anchored in a bay and the aviators are brought to the shore in a boat. Naval officers greet them. The aircraft in flight over the Boston skyline. A motor launch in Boston Harbor. The DWCs land on water. The aviators arrive at the dock in the motor launch and are greeted by officials. They fly over New York. A large crowd greets the aviators at Mitchel Field, Long Island. They arrive at Bolling Field in Washington and are congratulated by President Coolidge and U.S. Secretary of War John Wingate Weeks. The three DWCs are followed by an XNBL-1 Barling bomber in flight in Dayton. Lt. Jack Harding is welcomed home. The world flight ends in Seattle, Washington. Photographers click pictures as a DWC lands. Major Martin greets aviators standing beside a DWC.
U.S. Army Air Service Douglas World Cruisers (DWC) in France during first flight around the world. Animated map: '4th Division, Calcutta to San Stefano, Turkey, distance of 4,355 miles'. A world cruiser flies low, then lands as the last stop on the continent of Asia. World cruisers and personnel in the foreground. Several views of the flight personnel. Animated map with European section titled: 'Fifth Division, San Stefano to London, distance of 1,795 miles'. Gardens at Versailles. U.S. World cruisers in Paris, France. A formation of four world cruisers. Two motion picture cameras point toward the sky. Mixed personnel in the background. A world cruiser lands. The cruiser after landing. Personnel run toward the aircraft which turns and taxis. Laurent Eynac greets and congratulates American cruiser aviators. The cruisers taxi and leave Le Bourget field. One cruiser takes off.
Zelli’s Royal Box night club in Paris, owned by Joe Zelli and located at 16 bis rue Fontaine. Several tables set in the club. People seated at the tables. The room is decorated. Bottles of alcoholic beverages are evident everywhere. An African American dancer performs in the center of the dance floor. Audience cheers and claps. An African American ensemble plays jazz and patrons dance. The trumpet player is Crickett Smith, and the drummer is USA Army Corporal Eugene Bullard. Patrons are seen on the dance floor under a chandelier with streamers. A balcony is seen above, where so-called "Royal Boxes"were arranged allowing patrons to watch festivities below. (Note: Bullard lived a storied life. Among other things, he served in World War 1 as one of 200 U.S. servicemen who flew for France. He was the first African American combat pilot and the first to shoot down enemy aircraft, and was decorated multiple times for valor. He was living in the Montmartre section of Paris after World War 1, which was known as a center for American Jazz music. He learned to play drums from the pioneer jazz musician Louis Mitchell and played in the house band at Zellis nightclub before taking over the management of a nightclub called Le Grand Duc, in 1924. The 2006 movie "Flyboys" portrayed members of the Lafayette Flying Corps and included a character based on Bullard.)