The Wright Brothers | Coming Down to Earth | 3
American History Tellers
Wondery
4.7 • 18.3K Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the summer of 1908, Wilbur Wright amazed crowds in France with his aerobatic flying demonstrations, and Orville made daring flights at a U.S. Army base in Virginia. The press in Europe and America raved and skeptics were silenced. But then, on September 17th, a horrific crash in Virginia left one man dead and Orville seriously wounded, threatening to destroy everything the Wright brothers had built.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Picture this. You're transported back in time, witnessing history unfold right before your eyes, without any modern day interruptions. |
| 0:07.3 | That's the magic of Wondery Plus. |
| 0:09.2 | Immerse yourself in the stories that shaped our nation with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and exclusive bonus content. |
| 0:16.1 | Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts and experience American history like never before. |
| 0:35.4 | Imagine it's midday on August 21st, 1908. |
| 0:39.6 | You're a pilot and inventor from Dayton, Ohio, but today you're at a horse track, five miles outside the French city of Le Mans. |
| 0:47.1 | Since you started giving flying demonstrations here, the crowds of spectators have steadily grown larger. |
| 0:52.8 | And the European press, which had previously been |
| 0:55.1 | skeptical of you and your brother, have become enthusiastic believers. So today, you're packing |
| 1:00.6 | your equipment to move to a larger field the French army has offered. But you know the curious |
| 1:05.7 | crowds will follow you there, too. So too will the eager and demanding press, and in fact, you notice a reporter |
| 1:12.3 | approaching right now. You steal yourself for another interruption. Yes, may I help you? I'm with a |
| 1:19.4 | London Daily Mail. May I ask you a few questions? I suppose so, but please make it quick. I'm busy. |
| 1:25.1 | Well, thank you. I've been watching you fly the past few days, |
| 1:27.7 | and it's magical. We've never seen anyone fly a figure eight before. You had complete control. |
| 1:33.8 | It seemed as though you could stay a lot forever. You said you had questions? Yes. I wondered if you |
| 1:40.6 | feel offended by the people who didn't believe you and your brother could fly. |
| 1:44.6 | You mean people like you in the press? I suppose that's fair, but my paper never mocked or |
| 1:50.4 | insulted you. We never called you a fake or a bluffer, but we were skeptical, yes. You've proven |
| 1:56.0 | us all wrong. Well, if I've learned anything in all this, it's that people like you are fickle. |
| 2:17.6 | One week, you call my brother and I frauds, and the next, we're heroes. What will it be tomorrow? All I can do is focus on my work. Now, you have a real question, or can I get back to it? Fine, yes. What are you planning to do next to stay ahead of all of the other flyers? Are you worried about competitors? |
| 2:19.6 | Well, I think French aviators, like Blario and the Voisin brothers, |
... |
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