Loading summary
Transcript24 lines
- [00:00]
Rocket Money Advertiser
The number one resolution for people last year was to save more money, but nearly half gave up by February. Don't let that be you. Download Rocket Money to reach your financial goals this year, track your spending, cut waste, and automate savings in one simple app. Rocket Money shows you all your expenses and categorizes them so you know exactly where your money's going and where you're overspending. From there, the app cuts waste by canceling your unused subscriptions and lowering your bills. No customer service needed. With that money freed up, the app will automatically set some cash aside for your goals. Whether it's an emergency fund, paying off debt or saving for vacation, Rocket Money's got you covered. Users love the app, with over 186,000 five star ratings, and on average, users can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Make saving money a priority this year goes go to rocketmoney.com cancel to get started, that's rocketmoney.com cancel rocketmoney.com cancel.
- [01:09]
Lindsey Graham
It's October 14, 1947. 15,000ft above the Mojave Desert, 24 year old Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager sits on a metal box inside a B29 bomber. Ignoring the safety belt requirement, a bumper turbulence sends pain shooting through his torso. Two nights ago he broke a few ribs while horseback riding, and if his superiors had discovered the injury, he would have been grounded. But Yeager was not about to miss this opportunity. He's going to attempt the fastest flight in human history. In the B29's Bomb Bay is a small orange rocket plane, the Bell X1. For months, Yeager and a team of engineers have pushed this experimental aircraft closer and closer to supersonic flight, and today they will attempt to break through the invisible threshold marking the speed of sound. Many believe it's impossible. Planes have fallen apart and pilots have been killed just approaching such speed, but Yeager is determined that today is going to be different. At 20,000ft, the B29 levels off, and Yeager makes his way to the bomb bay, climbs down a small steel ladder, and below him the X1 dangles from his heavy shackle in the freezing wind. Getting into the tiny cockpit on a good day is exhausting, but with broken ribs, every move is tortures. Jaeger grips the door frame with his left hand and swings himself feet first toward the narrow opening. One terrifying moment he's suspended between the ladder and the plane, with nothing but sky beneath him but making it inside. Jaeger settles in as the B29 dives, accelerating to reach launch speed. Then comes the countdown over the radio. 3, 2, 1. For a moment, the X1 is in free fall, and Jaeger feels the weightlessness in his stomach. Then he ignites the rockets. The acceleration slams him back into his seat. His eyes flick to the Mach meter, which measures the plane's speed as a percentage of sound. At 92, the plane begins to shake. By 96, Yeager worries it will tear apart. But then, as he passes 0.97, the needle swings widely off the scale. The gauge is only built to go Mach 1. Jaeger has done it. He's flying faster than any human has before. On the ground below, observers hear a sound like distant thunder. The first human generated sonic boom. Chuck Yeager has just exceeded the speed of sound. He's proven that supersonic flight is possible, and in doing so, he's planted a seed. If a rocket plane can break the sound barrier, perhaps one day, so too can a passenger jet. This possibility will spark a global race involving engineers or pilots, politicians and spies. And eventually, a new era of supersonic travel will begin when commercial Concorde flights take off from London and Paris on January 21, 1976. 2026 is a big year for the United States, the 250th anniversary, the semiquincentennial, a word we will all know how to pronounce by the year's end. But America is a lot more than just one day. So for my live show, I'm deliberately going to ignore July 4, 1776, and try and paint a broader picture of the United States through six other days. Of course, I'm not going to tell you which ones, but they're exciting, surprising, infuriating, and consequential. So come out to discover the days that made America live. For information on tickets and upcoming dates, go to historydailylive.com that's historydailylive.com and if you're in the North Texas area, buy your tickets now@historydailylive.com.
- [04:54]
Rocket Money Advertiser
The number one resolution for people last year was to save more money, but nearly half gave up by February. Don't let that be you. Download Rocket Money to reach your financial goals this year, track your spending, cut waste, and automate savings in one simple app. Rocket Money shows you all your expenses and categorizes them so you know exactly where your money's going and where you're overspending. From there, the app cuts waste by canceling your unused subscriptions and lowering your bills. No customer service needed. With that money, freed up, the app will automatically set some cash aside for your goals. Whether it's an emergency fund, paying off debt or saving for vacation, Rocket Money's got you covered. Users love the app with over 186,000 five star ratings, and on average, users can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Make saving money a priority this year. Go to rocketmoney.com cancel to get started. That's rocketmoney.com cancel rocketmoney.com cancel coffee genius here Most people see a busy cafe, but I see precision at every step.
- [05:59]
Lindsey Graham
Thanks to Genius from global payments transactions, instant inventory, precise operations in sync. Absolutely Genius.
- [06:09]
Rocket Money Advertiser
From sold out crowds worldwide to managing.
- [06:11]
Lindsey Graham
The morning rush, genius keeps operations running smoothly.
- [06:15]
Rocket Money Advertiser
One Portado Flawless pour, perfectly timed.
- [06:18]
Lindsey Graham
Just beautiful.
- [06:19]
Rocket Money Advertiser
Big league reliability for any business. That's Genius.
- [06:23]
Lindsey Graham
Well, the holidays have come and gone once again, but if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift, well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless. So here's the idea. You get it now. You call it an early present for next year. What do you have to lose? Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch limited time.
- [06:43]
Commercial Announcer
50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 month or $180 for 12 month plan taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms.
- [06:55]
Rocket Money Advertiser
Milo's Pro Rewards members go big during Pro Savings Days at Lowe's. Buy more and save more with up to 20% off job site essentials like primed finger joint boards when you spend $3,000 or more. Plus get up to 25% off PVC DWV pipes when you spend $250 or more. Shop Pro Savings Days at Lowe's. We help you Save. Valid through 123. Selection varies by location, while supplies last loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Visit lowe's.com terms for details. Subject to change.
- [07:27]
Lindsey Graham
From noser and airship I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is History. D. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is January 21st, 1976. Concord takes flight. It's November 29th in 1962 in London, England, 15 years after Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, British Aviation Minister Julian Amery takes a seat among the gilded walls and crystal chandeliers of Lancaster House, a lavish mansion owned by The British government. Its opulence is meant to impress foreign dignitaries. But everyone here today is only focused on one thing. On the polished table at the front of the room sits a model of the future. A needle nosed aircraft with swept back delta wings. Amery hopes it will lead the United Kingdom into a new era of supersonic global travel. But the British won't be building it alone. Amory is here to sign a treaty with the French, committing both governments to develop the new jet together. It's the only way either nation can afford the project. Estimates already suggest it will cost hundreds of millions of pounds. The British treasury is nervous and some members of Parliament are already openly skeptical. But Amory is convinced that if Britain doesn't act now, it risks missing out on what could be an enormous new market in aviation. The Soviets publicly announced their own supersonic plane in January and the Americans are known to be developing an aircraft with Boeing. This partnership with France will allow Britain to compete with the superpowers. The French Ambassador to the United Kingdom steps into the room and takes a seat beside Amory. Each man has a copy of the treaty in front of them. This document is the result of months of negotiation. Its pages bind the two countries together. They will be sharing the costs, the risks and hopefully the glory. But one provision in the treaty matters more than all others to Amory. It means neither government can unilaterally withdraw from the project without paying crippling financial penalties. This clause is Britain's insurance policy and Amory has negotiated hard for it. It will ensure the French cannot abandon development halfway through and strand Britain with a half built supersonic jet and mountains of debt. Cameras flash as Amory picks up his pen and signs his name on behalf of the British government. The French representatives do the same and the deal is done. Development soon begins on what becomes known as Concord. But the optimism and excitement of the ceremony at Lancaster House soon fades. The technology of supersonic flight proves more complex than expected. There are delays and disputes as designs for the plane's powerful engines and super strong fuselage are repeatedly revised and refined. The already high costs begin to spiral even further and the project seems increasingly doomed. All it's waiting for is someone to pull the plug. When in 1964, Britain elects a new Labour government promising fiscal responsibility, the incoming administration launches a review of all major expenditures. Concorde is quickly identified as a cost the country can do without. So Julian Amory's replacement as Aviation Minister, is dispatched to Paris to negotiate an end to the project. Roy Jenkins sits down across from his French counterpart and pleads Britain's case. He says the government can't afford to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on a new plane that may never get off the ground. Jenkins hopes that France can see the wisdom in pausing the project or renegotiating the terms of the deal, and that they can find a compromise that will serve both nations interests. But the French minister's response is ice cold. He reminds Jenkins that the original treaty signed by his predecessor is still binding. Neither government may withdraw without the other's consent, and France has no intention of letting its partner go. The insurance policy Britain insisted on has now chained them to the Concorde project. This meeting in Paris lasts just 35 minutes. Afterward, a chasin Jenkins hurries back to London with the bad news. Two days later, he stands before the House of Commons and announces that Britain will honor its treaty obligations to the French. He's careful to make the outcome sound like a principled choice. He speaks of ongoing review, of partnership and responsibility. But within the government, the reality is Britain is trapped. So despite its cost and the doubts of leading politicians, the Concorde project will continue its haphazard journey into the sky. But soon another threat will emerge. Far away, on the other side of the Iron Curtain, another advanced passenger plane is under development, and the Soviets will stop at nothing to beat France and Britain in this supersonic race and be the first to to take passengers beyond the sound barrier.
- [12:38]
Commercial Announcer
The number one resolution for people last year was to save more money, but nearly half gave up by February. Don't let that be you. Download Rocket Money to reach your financial goals this year. Track your spending, cut waste and automate savings in one simple app. Rocket Money shows you all your expenses and categorizes them so you know exactly where your money's going and where you're overspending. From there, the app cuts waste by canceling your unused subscriptions and lowering your bills. No customer service needed. With that money freed up, the app will automatically set some cash aside for your goals. Whether it's an emergency fund, paying off debt or saving for vacation, Rocket Money's got you covered. Users love the app, with over 186,000 five star ratings, and on average, users can save up to $740 a year when using all the app's premium features. Make saving money a priority this year. Go to RocketMoney.com Cancel to get started. That's RocketMoney.com Cancel RocketMoney.com Cancel this is the story of the one as an H Vac technician, he and his digital multimeter are in high demand. So when a noisy office H vac turns out to be a failing blower motor, he doesn't break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product information, he selects the product he needs to keep everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [14:09]
Rocket Money Advertiser
This is the story of the One as the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it. That's why she partners with Grainger for auto reordering, so her team members can count on her to have cut resistant gloves on hand and each shift can run safely and efficiently. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. With the American Express Platinum card, I.
- [14:41]
Lindsey Graham
Can unlock experiences like no other. Since I'm always booking my next trip, I love that I can earn points on travel, plus I get a resy benefit. So you know, I'm hitting the restaurants everyone's talking about. And you can find out your welcome offer after you apply, which could be.
- [14:55]
Rocket Money Advertiser
As high as 175,000 points for experiences like no other.
- [15:00]
Lindsey Graham
There's nothing like platinum. Learn more at americanexpress.com Explore Platinum Terms Apply. It's February 1, 1965, in Paris, France, just two weeks after Britain's failed attempt to escape the Concorde Treaty. Sergei Pavlov sits at a corner table in a modest restaurant, waiting for his contact to arrive. Sergei is the head of the Paris office of the Soviet airline Aeroflot, and he hopes his meeting today will look like a routine one, although it's anything but. Sergei is far more than just an airline executive. He spent months cultivating a network of Communist sympathizers and paid informants at the Concord factory in Toulouse. His operation has been a remarkable success. Moscow now has critical engineering details of the Concorde that will save Soviet designers years of trial and error. Sergei glances up as his contact strides in. The man slides into the seat across from him. They order drinks and talk quietly of other things when, while under the table, a folder changes hands. Inside it are the latest blueprints, fresh from the Concorde development facility. But something feels wrong. Sergei's eyes drift to a couple two tables away, a man and a woman engaged in what appears to be intimate conversation, but they've been here since he arrived. The woman laughs at something the man Sundays, but her companion's gaze keeps returning just For a fraction of a second to Sergei's table. Sergei feels a cold weight settle in his chest. He knows that look. He's used it himself. So he decides he needs to leave. Quickly tucking the folder into his briefcase, he makes his excuses and stands. Sergei then walks fast, resisting the urge to run. His mind races through escape plans, because whatever happens, he cannot be caught with the briefcase. As he sweeps through the door, he chances a glance behind him. The couple and the restaurant haven't moved, and for a moment, Sergei thinks perhaps he was mistaken. But then hands grip his arms. French counterintelligence agents have appeared out of nowhere to place Sergei under arrest. They open the briefcase immediately. Inside, they find blueprints for Concorde's landing gear and its revolutionary anti lock brakes. These documents alone represent millions of pounds of investment and thousands of engineering hours. But they're just the tip of the iceberg. When Sergei's apartment is searched later, piles and piles of documents are discovered. Not just material relating to Concorde, but intelligence on dozens of other Western aviation projects as well. Sergei Pavlov is rapidly deported, but his network continues without him. Other operatives pass more information to Moscow. And this industrial espionage helps the Soviets leapfrog the French and British. And on December 31, 1968, their supersonic plane, the Tu144, roars into the Moscow sky. Concorde's maiden flight comes a few months later. There's disappointment on both sides of the English Channel that they were beaten to this stage by their communist rivals. But what many people don't yet realize is that the Soviets have made a dangerous gamble in their rush to beat Concord into the sky. Sky they prioritize speed over safety. The Soviet aircraft is riddled with hidden design flaws, but these will soon be exposed in the most dramatic way imaginable. In early June 1973, the Soviets take their new plane to the Paris Air Show. They're eager to show the world what it can do. And a crowd of 250,000 spectators pack viewing areas to watch. Behind the controls of the TU144 is test pilot Mikhail Kozlu. Kosov, he's an experienced professional pilot and he knows better than anyone the limitations of the aircraft. Compared to Concorde's decade of development and testing, the TU144 has been rushed into existence to prove Soviet supremacy. And now the pressure is on Kozlov to keep up that impression. Pushing the throttle forward, Kozlov sets the TU144 roaring down the Runway. Then he sets all four engines to full afterburner. The aircraft climbs steeply. But as Kozlov ascends, something flashes in his peripheral vision. It's a French Mirage fighter jet, clearly deployed to photograph the TU144 in flight. But no one told Kozlov it would be there. It's a clear violation of regulations. But Kozlov soon has other problems to worry about. Below 2,000ft, his TU 144 stalls, the nose pitches over sharply, and the plane enters a steep dive. Kozlov fights for control, but the aircraft is traveling at 350 knots. The forces are too much, and at 400ft above the ground, the left wing tears away and then the rest of the aircraft disintegrates in mid air, tumbling through the sky in flames. All six crew on board are killed, as are eight people on the ground. The cause of the crash will never be formally identified, but behind closed doors, France and the Soviet Union reach an understanding to avoid embarrassment on all sides. The Soviets won't mention the unauthorized Mirage surveillance jet if the French don't publicly criticize the TU144's many design flaws. The Soviet supersonic jet will never enter regular commercial service, but its rival Concorde will. After years of painstaking development, the Anglo French plane will take its first first paying passengers, and a new age of supersonic travel will finally begin.
- [20:49]
Rocket Money Advertiser
I didn't even realize I was wasting $415 a month until I downloaded Rocket Money. I thought I had my finances under control until the app laid out all my spending and categorized it for me. Takeout shopping and unused subscriptions were quietly draining my account, and as a result, my savings took a back seat. But Rocket Money doesn't just tell you what you're wasting money on. It takes action to save you money. First, the app looks at your income and monthly expenses and calculates how much you can safely spend each day to stay under budget. Rocket Money also finds and cancels unwanted subscriptions for you and even negotiates better rates on your bills so you have more money in your pocket. On average, Rocket Money members can save up to $740 a year when using all the app's premium features. Users love the app. With over 186,000 five star ratings, it's time to simplify your finances and take control of your Money. Go to RocketMoney.com Cancel to get started. That's RocketMoney.com Cancel RocketMoney.com Cancel get that.
- [21:50]
Lindsey Graham
AmEx Gold card ready. I'm way too tired to cook tonight.
- [21:53]
Commercial Announcer
You read my mind. With the Gold Card, we can get up to $120 a year in statement credits. Are you feeling the Cheesecake Factory? Five guys. Either of those sound good?
- [22:04]
Rocket Money Advertiser
Yes.
- [22:04]
Commercial Announcer
Which one? Both pay with the gold card to receive up to $10 a month in statement credits at participating partners Uncover more ways to reward yourself@americanexpress.com Explore Gold enrollment required Terms app.
- [22:28]
Lindsey Graham
It's January 21, 1976, at London Heathrow Airport. Two and a half years after the crash of the Soviet Tu 144. Captain Norman Todd sits in the cockpit of a British Airways Concorde, running through pre flight checks. His hand moves across the instrument panels. Today he double then triple checks the readings. It's been 14 years since the treaty between Britain and France was signed, and in that time, their rivals have fallen away one by one. The American program failed to get off the drawing board before it was canceled. The Soviet plane never recovered from the crash at the Paris Air show. So now all hopes for supersonic commercial air travel rest on Concorde, and today the plane will carry its first paying passengers. There will be two flights, one from London and one from Paris. The idea is that they'll take off at exactly the same time, so that neither Britain nor France can be said to have been first. After 14 years of partnership, they will share this triumph equally. But Captain Todd has read the newspapers, and he knows that not everyone is as excited as he is about these landmark flights. Billions of pounds have been spent on Concorde, its years overdue, and the early promises that the jet would usher in a revolution in aviation now seem hollow. Most of the pre orders for the plane have been canceled, and only the national carriers, British Airways and Air France, are still committed to the aircraft. Still, many people thought this day would never come, so Captain Todd intends to enjoy it. At precisely 11:40am he receives clearance to take off. Four Rolls Royce Olympus engines ignite with a roar. Concorde accelerates down the Runway, going faster and faster, its needle nose lifting. The delta wings catch the air, and passengers cheer in the cabin as Concorde takes to the skies. At 60,000ft, the aircraft reaches Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. It's everything the engineers promised. Smooth, stable, flawless. Britain and France have done it. The supersonic age has begun, but it won't last. Far from representing the future of air travel, Concorde will be the world's only supersonic passenger jet for its entire operational life. Its high running costs will mean it becomes a super premium service catering only to the elite. And even that will eventually be unsustainable. Following a fatal crash in July 2000, the entire Concorde fleet will be grounded for extensive safety modifications. But from then on, the math will no longer work, and Concorde's commercial service will come to an end in the fall of 2003. Eighteen Concordes will remain preserved in museums around the world. They will be a reminder of the ingenuity and ambition of the aircraft's creators and a monument to the lost era of supersonic travel that first began when the first commercial Concorde flights took off from London and Paris on January 21, 1976. Next on History Daily January 22, 1808 after fleeing a French invasion, the Portuguese royal family sets up court in exile on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. From Noiser and Airship. This is History Daily hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammad Shazi Sound design by Molly Bond Music by Thrum. This episode is written and researched by Galen Foote edited by William Simpson Managing producer Emily Burke Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.