Gail Halvorsen and the candy parachutes of the Berlin Airlift.
Historical background
When the Soviet Union blocked land access to West Berlin in 1948, the Western Allies flew supplies into the city. US pilot Gail Halvorsen began dropping small packages of sweets for children near Tempelhof Airport.
He used little parachutes made from handkerchiefs and became known as the Candy Bomber. Other crews and volunteers helped the idea grow into Operation Little Vittles, a small part of the much larger effort to supply Berlin.
