The Wright Brothers | Fliers or Liars | 2

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

By 1903, inventors and adventurers in Britain and France were launching their own experimental aircraft skyward. In the U.S., crowds gathered outside Washington, D.C. to see Samuel Langley of the Smithsonian Institution test his highly-anticipated “aerodrome”, only to watch the machine crash in the Potomac River. But on December 17th, 1903, on the sand dunes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Wilbur Wright climbed onto the lower wing of his homemade “Flyer” to make history.

Order your copy of the new American History Tellers book, The Hidden History of the White House, for behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most dramatic events in American history—set right inside the house where it happened.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, history buffs, if you can't get enough of the captivating stories we uncover on American
0:04.7	history tellers, you'll love the exclusive experience of Wondry Plus.
0:08.4	Dive even deeper into the past with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and
0:13.0	bonus content that brings history to life like never before.
0:16.2	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple podcast and embark on an unparalleled journey through
0:21.4	America's most pivotal moments.
0:37.0	Imagine it's late afternoon on December 8, 1903.
0:40.3	You're sitting atop a houseboat on the I.C. Potomac River, a few miles south of Washington, D.C.
0:46.3	You're a mechanic and test pilot, and you're about to climb into the cockpit of an experimental flying machine called the Aero drone,
0:53.3	the brainchild of your boss, Samuel Langley,
0:55.9	of the Smithsonian Institution. You previously tried to launch the steel-framed bird with its 48-foot
1:01.7	wingspan back in October, but back then it dove straight into the river. So today, you're hoping
1:07.3	the engine you built will propel the aerodrome into the sky and into the record books.
1:12.8	But unfortunately, the wind has kicked up.
1:15.4	I'm not sure about this wind, boss.
1:17.6	Maybe we'd be safer to postpone.
1:19.7	No, with this cold, if we wait any longer, the river might ice over completely.
1:23.8	And maybe we should wait until spring.
1:25.6	Not a chance.
1:26.5	I've spent four years and $50,000 of public funding on this.
1:30.7	Plus another $20,000 I raised myself.
1:33.3	The investors and the public want to see something.
	...

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