Lillian Leitzel: Queen of the Air

Born this day in 1892, Lillian Leitzel (Leopoldina Alitza Pelikan) was a second generation circus performer, born and raised in Germany.

In 1910, she came to the U.S. with an aerial troupe called the Leamy Ladies. She stayed and went solo, becoming a major star of vaudeville and the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus, billed as the Queen of the Air. In 1928, in a fairytale circus union, Leitzel married fellow trapeze artist Alfredo Codona of he Flying Codonas.

She died in the line of duty in 1931 when her apparatus broke and she fell onto a concrete floor. Devastated by the loss, Codona was to outlive her by only six years. The details of his shocking and violent exit are here.

To find out more about  the history of vaudeville, including star acrobats like ill-fated Lillian Leitzel, Queen of the Air,consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous