Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, June 29, 1999, 2009, the Wright brothers conduct test flights on their military

flyer at Fort Meyer, Virginia.

The Wright Brothers Military Flyer, Fort Meyeryers say that 10 times fast.

Look, shout out to listener Travis for suggesting this story and it is a really interesting one because I think generally,

if we think of the Wright brothers, we think of them as kind of independent inventors, former bicycle shop owners who were tinkering

away for years to finally basically build the first successful motor operated airplane.

And that's basically true, but in this moment there's also this

relationship developing and this ongoing relationship with the government and the

government is kind of finally coming around and saying, okay fine, right brothers, you did it. Now, let's talk.

Let's become partners. So here to discuss the moment when the Wright brothers got a call from the military industrial complex.

I don't think that phrase existed at that moment, but nevertheless.

They were created it.

Exactly.

Well, yeah, here to discuss, as always, Nicole Hammer of Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley. Hello, Jody. Hey there. And Kelly, this is an incredibly awkward segue, but you can thank the Wright brothers for your ability to have

gotten on an airplane and gone to where you are now or maybe thank the military

industrial complex but Kelly where are you tell everyone I'm in I'm in

Paris right now and it's interesting because the French were one in the first

foreign governments to work with the Wright brothers and help you know really take their technology to a new

level so thank you France and Kelly is yeah not just in France right now but you're

living there this summer it's pretty awesome doing research for your

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