Lydia Zvereva
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13 August 1890
(now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Lydia Zvereva | |
|---|---|
 Lidiya Zvereva in 1911 | |
| Born | Lydia Vissarionovna Zvereva 13 August 1890 |
| Died | 1 May 1916 (aged 25) Petrograd, Russian Empire (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) |
| Known for | First female licensed pilot in Russia |
Lydia Vissarionovna Zvereva (13 August 1890 – 1 May 1916)[1] was a Russian aviation pioneer who is credited with being the first woman in Russia to earn a pilot's license. Although she only lived to the age of 25, Zvereva is recognized for her feats as a female aviator. She competed in air shows in Eastern Europe, and later, with her husband Vladimir Victorovich Slusarenko, Zvereva operated an aircraft manufacturing factory in Riga.
Born in Saint Petersburg in 1890 into a military family, Zvereva was educated at the Czar Nicholas I Institute for Girls. In 1910, a succession of exhibits held in Russia assembled French and German pilots while promoting an enthusiasm for aviation in the Russian public. One pioneering French pilot active in the events, Raymonde de Laroche, broke barriers as the world's first woman licensed to fly, and hence encouraged other women to participate in the field of aviation, including Zvereva.[2]
