One of the pioneers we can thank for aviation and car safety is Col. John Stapp. Stapp earned a Ph.D. in biophysics and a medical degree before joining the U.S. Army Air Force, predecessor to the Air Force. 

After attending the School of Aviation Medicine, he researched ways to make flight safer. In the 1950s he gained fame for being strapped to a rocket sled and launched faster than a bullet. Hailed as the “Fastest Man on Earth.” He repeatedly investigated the effects of acceleration by experimenting on himself. 

He suffered bruises, blisters and even temporary blindness. Film of his tests gained him national fame. The fastest speed Strapp reached was 632 miles per hour. He then stopped in 1.4 seconds, experiencing 46.2 Gs. He was featured on the September 12, 1955 cover of Time magazine. 

After ten years of rocket sledding, he continued his research work for the Air Force before moving on to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and then served as the Surgeon General for NASA. He died in 1999

Black and white photo of Stapp in his Air Force dress uniform

High speed photos of Stapp as he is rocket at high speed.

Photos of Stapp during an experiment, his face contorts and cheeks billow in the high winds

Time magazine cover drawing of stapp's head 10 times its size attached to the rocket sled

JOHN PAUL STAPP

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