Episode #146- Who Was First in Flight? (Part I)

Our Fake History

PodcastOne

History, Education, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2021

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In mythology from around the world the ability to fly was reserved strictly for the gods. Stories about human beings constructing flying machines were usually punctuated with a moral about hubris. Vain attempts at flight were an easy metaphor for the limits of human ingenuity. Even in the late 19th century, when technology was progressing quickly and inventors were becoming celebrities, those who devoted themselves to flying machines were written off as daredevils or cranks. However, the stigma did not deter a handful of obsessed would-be aeronauts. Around the turn of the century a number of inventors from different corners of the world raced to be the first in flight. The Wright Brothers have gone down in history as the inventors of the airplane, but were they truly the first people to create a working flying machine? Tune-in and find out how Olympic opening ceremonies, Eagle Thrones, and the world's tiniest balloon all play a role in the story. Check out the I.O.U Trio at ioutrio.bandcamp.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	There's a cliche that I'd like to address right off the top here.
0:11.9	Today we're talking about flight and my God.
0:15.8	There's something about flying that lends itself to hack-need expressions.
0:21.2	When you start poking around doing cursory investigations into the early days of flying machines,
0:27.1	again and again you come across lines that go something like,
0:31.8	since the dawn of time, man has gazed skyward and dreamed of soaring through the air like the birds.
0:42.3	These types of lines usually appear in made-for-TV documentaries.
0:48.0	They're read in the voice of a knowing but kindly older male narrator
0:52.7	and they're usually accompanied by vaguely inspirational images of birds soaring in an updraft.
1:00.5	I've seen a lot of variations on this theme, but there's a basic idea that is always being
1:06.6	communicated loud and clear. Flying has been one of the greatest human ambitions since we first
1:15.4	started to walk upright. As soon as we could dream, we dreamt of flying.
1:23.3	It's a romantic, if-a-touch-cheesy way to start a show about flying.
1:29.5	But I think writers gravitate to these kinds of introductions because they rely on a cheap
1:35.6	and simple assumption that is very easy for an audience to nod along to.
1:40.4	Of course, we've always dreamt of flying. It's so elemental.
1:46.2	Even children have dreams of flying through the air.
1:49.6	Surely, taking to the skies has always been what we as a species have most desired.
1:58.6	But, at the risk of coming off as an annoyingly contrarian,
2:02.9	I'm going to propose that maybe humanity has always had mixed feelings about taking to the air.
2:12.6	For many ancient people, flying was considered to be the purview of the gods.
2:17.8	In mythology from around the world, there are many stories about human beings being given
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