I've been thinking about what made Lindbergh so famous, and so many
other aviation firsts are not. In no particular order, there are a
bunch of reasons that probably also influence other world "memories".

1) There was a competition involved.
2) There was national pride at stake.
3) Others had died attempting the same feat.
4) He was likeable and a newcomer.
5) He was alone.
6) There was no way to know if he was alive until near the end.
7) He had to navigate by dead reckoning
8) The technology was just barely there.

A lot of these also applied to the moon race.

Kev