Marie Marvingt
French athlete and aviator (1875-1963)
マリー・マルヴァン
- Born
- 20 February 1875, Aurillac
- Died
- 14 December 1963, Laxou
- Citizenship
- France
- Sport
- competitive swimming, shooting sports
- Discipline
- long track speed skating
- Occupation
- speed skater, journalist, fencer, aircraft pilot, Esperantist
Marie Félicie Élisabeth Marvingt (French pronunciation: [maʁi maʁvɛ̃]; 20 February 1875 – 14 December 1963) was a French athlete, mountaineer, aviator, and journalist. She was the first woman to climb many of the peaks in the French and Swiss Alps. Marvingt was a record-breaking balloonist, and during World War I she became the first female combat pilot. She won numerous prizes for her sporting achievements including those of swimming, cycling, mountain climbing, winter sports, ballooning, flying, riding, gymnastics, athletics, rifle shooting, and fencing.
She was also a qualified surgical nurse, was the first trained and certified flight nurse in the world, and worked for the establishment of air ambulance services throughout the world. In 1903 Mr. de Château-Thierry de Beaumanoir named her "the fiancée of danger", which newspapers used to describe her for the rest of her life. It is also included on the commemorative plaque on the façade of the house where she lived at 8 Place de la Carrière, Nancy.
Awards and honours
- Officer of the Legion of Honour 1949
- Knight of the ordre de la Santé publique 1957
- Aeronautical Medal
- Croix de guerre 1914–1918
- Knight of the French Order of Academic Palms
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q469752 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.