I'm Laura Norton, and this is one strange thing, the show where we search the nation's news archives for stories that can't quite be explained.

Thank you. Listeners, we'd like to begin today's episode with a question.

If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose? And why would it be the ability to avoid overdone

icebreakers?

Seriously, though, we think that this seemingly silly superpower question can actually reveal

a lot about a person.

For example, you'll want to steer clear of the tender date who chooses mind control as their

preferred talent. Conversely, you should definitely marry the one whose greatest desire is the ability

to communicate with their dog. The jury is still out on the desire to talk with cats, as that

might reveal serious masochistic tendencies.

And then, of course, there's the perennial favorite answer, the ability to fly. Just imagine.

What if you could avoid the rush hour traffic? Avoid cramming onto crowded buses or trains and just go. You, the fresh

air, the views, the birds, no more booking flights or taking off shoes for you. We really do get the appeal.

Of course, in practice, we imagine it be a bit of a nightmare. The wear and tear on your hair alone would be

monumental, and imagine the sunscreen you'd go through. And the heat? Well, poor Icarus made that

pretty clear, we think. Here in real life, unfortunately, we're without superpowers and without any

real progress in personal flight. Science hasn't gone so far as to give us a

flawless retro futuristic jetpack and no one seems to have sprouted wings as far as we can tell,

but if you have, please do get in touch. This podcast doesn't write itself.

In any case, the skies up there seem untouchably high for most of us, but not for all.

You see, our story today concerns someone or some ones who seem to have cracked the mystery of flight.

We begin in 1948 in a town in southwestern Washington state.

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