S1, E105: Technically the speed of sound had probably been broken before that by several Second World War aircraft. Some British and American fighters may have unintentionally exceeded the speed of sound in an evasive dive and there are unconfirmed reports that the German ME 262 jet fighter managed to break the sound barrier. In November 1945, a British jet fighter the Gloster Meteor set a new official world speed record of 606.25 mph. It was two years later before the sound barrier was broken by an American aircraft the Bell X-1. Test pilot 'Chuck' Yeager named the aircraft 'Glamorous Glennis' after his wife. The Age of the Super Sonic fighter was born.