I Was Just Thinking About . . . Francis Gary Powers

I was just thinking about Francis Gary Powers—a Cold War-era U.S. Air Force pilot who later joined Central Intelligence Agency where he was trained to fly the U-2 spy plane. Powers was tasked with a flyover near Sverdlovsk, Russia. The date was May 1, 1960. He was shot down, tried by the Russians, found guilty, and sentenced. Eventually, a spy swap between the U.S. and Russia - we got Powers, Russia got Rudolf Abel, a KGB officer, brought Powers home.