bia and took over what remained of her husband’s state. Apart from tak- ing care of her young children, she devoted herself to state affairs. She ruled Serbia with wisdom until her son Stefan came of age in 1393. The young man took power and the prin- cess abandoned her secular name and became a nun named Evgeni- ja. She nevertheless remained as an irreplaceable adviser to the young despot, remaining by his side and finding ways out of the most diffi- cult situations until her death. DANICA TOMIĆ She became Serbia’s first fe- male pilot in the 1930s, at a time when aviation was universally con- sidered a male profession. She stole her knowledge from her husband Major Miodrag Tomić, command- er of the 6 th Aviation Regiment, who was the pilot with the great- est number of confirmed victories in World War I. As the wife of a fa- mous pilot, she could have enjoyed the charms of an easy life, but she increasingly read books on avia- tion. She was more interested in the heavenly heights than formal dresses. It remains recorded that in 1928, during the celebration of the 15 th anniversary of the airport, Danica attracted the attention of the capital’s journalists when she flew “over a chasm 2,500 metres deep”. When an advertisement was published by the Society of Reserve Pilots in 1930 for the admission of candidates to the civil pilot school in Belgrade, she applied with her husband’s support. The Commission noted that she flew very calmly, assuredly, with poise and a very rare confidence. Ac- cording to their records, Danica was the best in her class and the first woman to perform looping, which is one of the most difficult manoeu- vres of aerial acrobatics. However, af- ter receiving her license, Danica fell into oblivion. Her husband, Major Tomić, was captured during World War II and moved to America after the war. His wife likely accompanied him, but all traces of her life after 1933 have been lost.
DANICA TOMIĆ
KNEGINJA MILICA Born circa 1335 during the reign of Emperor Dušan, she is a descend- ant of the Nemanjić line and was the great-granddaughter of Vukan Ne- manjić, the eldest son of the great prefect Stefan Nemanja, and the daughter of Prince Vratko, who was himself better known in the epic po- etry folk tradition as Jug Bogdan. She received the basics of Christian life and literacy at her parents’ court, while as a relative of Emperor Dušan she was a frequent guest at the im- perial court, where she later took up permanent residence and was edu- cated with the consent of her par- ents. It was there, at the age of 18, that she met Lazar Hrebeljanović, who was himself was in the imperial service. According to the records of Patriarch Danilo, the emperor loved young Lazar as his own son, which is why he also bequeathed his cous- in Milica to the young nobleman. In 1353, with the blessing of Em- peror Dušan and Empress Jelena, their love was crowned with mar- riage, and that marriage would be blessed with numerous children. Princess Milica was the first woman in Serbian history to have assumed power over the traumatised state following her husband’s death. After the loss in Kosovo, Milica was offered the chance to find peace with her children in Dubrovnik, but she remained in the then devastated Ser-
plovstvo važilo za mušku profesi- ju. Svoje znanje krala je od supru- ga, komandanta 6. vazduhoplovnog puka, majora Miodraga Tomića, pi- lota sa najvećim brojem pobeda u Prvom svetskom ratu. Kao supru- ga čuvenog pilota mogla je da uži- va u čarima lagodnog života, ali je ona sve više čitala knjige o vazdu- hoplovstvu, letenju, avijatici. Više od svečanih haljina nju su zanima- le nebeske visine. Ostalo je zapisa- no da je 1928. godine na proslavi 15. godišnjice aerodroma Danica privukla pažnju prestoničkih no- vinara kada je letela „nad provali- jom dubokom 2.500 metara“. Ka- da je 1930. objavljen oglas Društva rezervnih letača za prijem kandi- data u civilnu pilotsku školu u Be- ogradu, uz podršku supruga i ona se prijavila. Komisija je o njoj pričala da le- ti vrlo mirno, sigurno, staloženo i sa veoma retkim samopouzdanjem. Prema njihovim zapisima, Danica je bila najbolja u svojoj klasi i pr- va je žena koja je izvodila lupinge, što je jedna od najtežih vazdušnih akrobacija koja podrazumeva obrtaj avionom u vertikalnoj ravni od 360 stepeni. Ipak, nakon dobijanja do- zvole, Danica je pala u zaborav. Njen muž, major Tomić, pao je u zaro- bljeništvo tokom Drugog svetskog rata. Nakon završetka rata prese- lio se u Ameriku. Od 1933. godine gubi joj se svaki trag.
80 | Dan žena » Women’s Day
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