“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist, and pioneering aviator Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, the "Winged Poet," was born in Lyon, France, in 1900.

Antoine studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts, served in the French Army, trained as a pilot in Strasbourg, then transferred to the French Air Force. He became a daring pioneer of international postal flight for Aéropostale between France, Spain, and North Africa, and directed stopovers at the Cap Juby airfield in Morocco. He later became director of the Aeroposta Argentina airline. During World War II he flew reconnaissance missions for the French military, then traveled to the United States to lobby the government to intervene against the Nazis. Back in France, he joined the Free French Air Force, ultimately going missing during a mission over the Mediterranean Sea in 1944.

Antoine wrote stories inspired by his experiences as a pilot, earning several of France's highest literary awards, as well as the National Book Award in the U.S. His enchanting autobiographical novel, The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), a worldwide phenomenon, is the subject of more than 300 derivative works; numerous adaptations and translations; a Grammy Award-winning children’s album; four operas; four ballets; five films (23+ million viewers); 3-D animation broadcast in 70 countries; a Netflix series (30+ million viewers); and the first aerial theme park in the world. His popular, lyrical aviation writings include Wind, Sand and Stars; Southern Mail; Flight to Arras; and a novel, Night Flight, which became a major Hollywood film.

Antoine is also memorialized with an asteroid (#2578), a permanent exhibit at the Air and Space Museum, monuments and statues, biographical films, representations on French currency and postage, and recognition at major transportation hubs in his native Lyon.