Paul Tibbets: Pilot of the Enola Gay Dies at 92

Paul Tibbets was a U.S. Air Force officer who piloted the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Born on February 23, 1915, in Quincy, Illinois, he named the plane after his mother.

On August 6, 1945, Tibbets flew the Enola Gay and dropped the first atomic bomb used in war, on Hiroshima. He later said he had no regrets about carrying out the mission. He retired as a brigadier general in 1966.

Tibbets requested that there be no funeral or headstone, fearing it would become a place for protest. He died at his home in Columbus, Ohio, on November 1, 2007, at age 92.

Achievements: Pilot of the Enola Gay, Distinguished Service Cross.

Birth: February 23, 1915 - Quincy, Illinois.

Profession: Air Force officer.

Interesting Facts: He chose to be cremated and have his ashes scattered over the English Channel.