Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller, one of the most well-known Big Band musicians ever, enlisted in the military during World War II in an effort to provide entertainment for the troops. He forfeited a substantial paycheck and performed, trained, and raised army morale overseas for two years.

Miller and two other troops were traveling by plane from Bedford, England to Paris, France on December 15, 1944. The plane disappeared somewhere over the English Channel. Miller and his friends were never located. Additionally, the plane was never found.

Since they were not flying over a combat zone, it was suggested that perhaps friendly fire killed them. There were even rumored conspiracies that he was murdered or engaged in espionage. Later, an RAF navigator by the name of Fred Shaw would claim to have seen the same kind of aircraft being thrown from the sky into the channel on the day and time Miller was in transit, but it was never confirmed.

Born: Alton Glen Miller, March 1, 1904, Clarinda, Iowa, U.S.

Died: December 15, 1944 (aged 40)over English Channel