If you have ever braved the entire length of the Alaska Highway through the vast expanses of northern British Columbia and Yukon, you undoubtedly counted down the miles you traveled along the way, beginning at Mile 0.

It was a heady time in aviation history. On the heels of the Wright Brothers’ first successful human-powered flight in 1903 and Charles Lindbergh’s first solo nonstop transatlantic crossing in 1927 came thrill seekers and adventurers vying