Claude was a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot whose plane was hit over China in 1944. He bailed out and landed safely, using the parachute for warmth and shelter while waiting to be rescued. After the war, he proposed to Ruth and gave her the parachute, suggesting she use it to make her wedding gown.

Ruth designed the dress herself, inspired by a dress from “Gone with the Wind.” The gown is now part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.

Via: National Museum of American History