Donald Campbell remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year.
40 Facts About Donald Campbell
2.
Donald Campbell died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England.
3.
Donald Campbell was born at Canbury House, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, the son of Malcolm, later Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of 13 world speed records in the 1920s and 1930s in the Bluebird cars and boats, and his second wife, Dorothy Evelyn nee Whittall.
4.
Donald Campbell joined Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd in West Thurrock, where he became a maintenance engineer.
5.
Donald Campbell was intensely superstitious, hating the colour green, the number thirteen and believing nothing good ever happened on a Friday.
6.
Donald Campbell had some interest in the paranormal, which he nurtured as a member of the Ghost Club.
7.
Donald Campbell was a restless man and seemed driven to equal, if not surpass, his father's achievements.
8.
Donald Campbell was generally light-hearted and was usually, at least until his 1960 crash at the Bonneville Salt Flats, optimistic in his outlook.
9.
Donald Campbell began his speed record attempts in the summer of 1949, using his father's old boat, Blue Bird K4, which he renamed Bluebird K4.
10.
Donald Campbell now sported two cockpits, the second one being for Leo Villa.
11.
Donald Campbell was devastated at Cobb's loss, but he resolved to build a new Bluebird boat to bring the water speed record back to Britain.
12.
In early 1953, Donald Campbell began development of his own advanced all-metal jet-powered Bluebird K7 hydroplane to challenge the record, by now held by the American prop rider hydroplane Slo-Mo-Shun IV.
13.
Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records in K7 between July 1955 and December 1964.
14.
Donald Campbell made an attempt in the summer of 1957 at Canandaigua, New York, which failed due to lack of suitable calm water conditions.
15.
Donald Campbell was awarded the Order of the British Empire in January 1957 for his water speed record breaking, and in particular his record at Lake Mead in the United States which earned him and Britain very positive acclaim.
16.
On 23 November 1964, Donald Campbell achieved the Australian water speed record of 216 miles per hour on Lake Bonney Riverland in South Australia, although he was unable to break the world record on that attempt.
17.
The brothers were even more enthusiastic about the car than the boat and like all of his projects, Donald Campbell wanted Bluebird CN7, to be the best of its type, a showcase of British engineering skills.
18.
Donald Campbell was hospitalised with a fractured skull and a burst eardrum, as well as minor cuts and bruises, but CN7 was a write-off.
19.
Almost immediately, Donald Campbell announced he was determined to have another go.
20.
Donald Campbell decided not to go back to Utah for the new trials.
21.
Donald Campbell felt the Bonneville course was too short at 11-mile and the salt surface was in poor condition.
22.
Donald Campbell was heavily criticised in the press for alleged time wasting and mismanagement of the project, despite the fact that he could hardly be held responsible for the unprecedented weather.
23.
Donald Campbell returned to Australia in March 1964, but the Lake Eyre course failed to fulfil the early promise it had shown in 1962 and there were further spells of rain.
24.
The track never properly dried out and Donald Campbell was forced to make the best of the conditions.
25.
Donald Campbell was bitterly disappointed with the record as the vehicle had been designed for much higher speeds.
26.
Donald Campbell resented the fact that it had all been so difficult.
27.
Donald Campbell had become the first, and so far only, person to set both land and water speed records in the same year.
28.
Donald Campbell decided a massive jump in speed was called for following his successful 1964 land speed record attempt in Bluebird CN7.
29.
Donald Campbell chose a lucky date to hold a press conference at the Charing Cross Hotel on 7 July 1965 to announce his future record breaking plans:.
30.
Bluebird moved slowly out towards the middle of the lake, where she paused briefly as Donald Campbell lined her up.
31.
Donald Campbell's planing trim was no worse than she had exhibited when equipped with the Beryl engine, but it was markedly different from that observed by Leo Villa at the northern end of the kilometre, when she was under full acceleration.
32.
Mr Whoppit, Donald Campbell's teddy bear mascot, was found among the floating debris and the pilot's helmet was recovered.
33.
The wreckage of Donald Campbell's craft was recovered by the Bluebird Project between October 2000, when the first sections were raised, and May 2001, when Donald Campbell's body was recovered.
34.
Part of Donald Campbell's body was finally located just over two months later and recovered from the lake on 28 May 2001, still wearing his blue nylon overalls.
35.
Donald Campbell was buried in Coniston Cemetery on 12 September 2001 after his coffin was carried down the lake, and through the measured kilometre, on a launch, one last time.
36.
When Donald Campbell was buried in Coniston Cemetery on 12 September 2001 she did not attend the service.
37.
In 2003, the BBC showed a documentary reconstruction of Donald Campbell's fateful water-speed record attempt in an episode of Days That Shook the World.
38.
In 1956, Donald Campbell was surprised by Eamonn Andrews for the seventh episode of the new television show This Is Your Life.
39.
Gina Donald Campbell commented: "I've decided to secure the future of Bluebird for the people of Coniston, the Ruskin Museum and the people of the world".
40.
Donald Campbell was transported to Loch Fad where she was refloated on 4 August 2018.