Lindsey Graham (0:00)

There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free. Listen with Wondry plus in the Wondery app as a member of Noiser plus at noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts. Or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts@ebookist.com It's October 4, 1960, on the tarmac of Boston's Logan Airport. Onboard a departing plane, Eastern Airlines flight attendant Joan Barry Hale completes a safety demonstration for the aircraft's 67 passengers. She walks toward the lounge area in the rear of the plane and takes her seat as the pilot taxis to the Runway. It's all just a routine flight on a routine day. As the pilot throttles up the plane's four propeller engines, the plane lifts off and Joan feels the familiar sensation of becoming airborne. But just six seconds after takeoff, and everything changes. The plane shudders with an unusual vibration. Joan knows immediately something is wrong. The engines don't sound synced up, and the plane seems to be taking a left turn. Even though they have only just taken off, it's clear the pilots have no control over the plane and have no time to react. The plane dramatically slows down. Then, as fast as it ascended into the sky, the aircraft begins to hurtle back down. Joan and her fellow crew members try to brace for impact, but they only have seconds before the plane crashes into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Joan Barry Hale is one of only 10 who will survive the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 375. In the ensuing investigation, dead birds will be found clogging three of the plane's propeller engines, and the bodies of other birds will be found littering the Runway in Boston. It's the first major accident caused by bird strike, but not the last. Almost 50 years later, another bird strike will once again wreak havoc with a commercial aircraft when a flock of geese collides with US Airways Flight 1549. But this time, disaster will be averted thanks to the experience and ingenuity of pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger, who will land his damaged plane on the Hudson river, saving all 155 lives on board on January 15, 2009. From Noser and Airship, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is history. Daily 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 15, 2009. The Miracle on the Hudson. It's June 3, 1967, in the air above Sherman, Texas. Seven years after a flock of birds caused the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 375. 16 year old Chesley Sully Sullenberger sits behind the controls of an IRANKA 7 DC propeller airplane. It's a small aircraft mostly used for crop dusting, with only two seats, and today they're both occupied. Sitting next to Sully is his mentor and flight instructor, L.T. cook Jr. Who Sulley respectfully calls Mr. Cook. After a 10 minute warm up in the air, Sulley and Mr. Cook land the plane together. But once they're back on the ground, Mr. Cook tells Sully it's time for him to go back up. But this time, Sully will be flying solo. A thrill runs through the 16 year old. He's never taken a solo flight before. Since asking Mr. Cook to give him flying lessons two months ago, Sully has received just seven hours of flying instruction. The prospect of flying on his own fills him with both excitement and fear. But he has little time to dwell on either emotion before Mr. Cook hops out of the plane and leaves Sully alone behind the control. Nervously, Sully prepares for his first solo takeoff. There is no air traffic control and the Runway is just a grass strip that Mr. Cook mows himself. The plane is so old it doesn't even have a radio in it. But Mr. Cooke believes in Sully and and help Sully believe in himself. Sully checks the rudder's oil pressure and then finally releases the brake. The plane accelerates down the makeshift Runway and Sully's hands tighten on his control stick as he pulls back and the plane lifts off and sails into the air. For the young Sully Sullenberger, it's an exhilarating moment, one he will remember for the rest of his life. And after this successful first solo flight, Sul Sully keeps learning as much as possible from Mr. Cook, eventually receiving his private pilot certificate. He puts it to good use. As a teenager, flying continues to dominate Sully's free time. He takes regular trips around rural Texas, waving to his parents below each time he passes over his childhood home. He even takes a girl on a date in a rented plane, flying with her for 45 minutes to have lunch in an Arkansas airport. Sully's passion leads him to make a profession out of his hobby. After high school, Sully enrolls in the Air Force Academy and moves across the country to different Air Force bases, completing training on different kinds of fighter planes. He also receives a degree in industrial psychology, focusing on how the human brain interacts with heavy machinery. During his Air Force training, Sully is tasked with investigating plane crashes. He interviews survivors, inspects damaged equipment and is haunted by the human remains found near wreckage. But through it all, Sully's passion for flying endures. After becoming an operational fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, Sully leaves the military to become a commercial airline pilot for Pacific Southwest Airlines, based out of San Francisco. This job is a dream come true. Flying in the 70s and 80s is glamorous. Passengers wear nice clothes, and awestruck kids visit the cockpit to get a little pair of wings pinned on their shirts to commemorate their first flights. Sully also finds a new family through his career as a pilot. While at a public relations event in 1986, he meets flight attendant Lori Henry. Three years later, the two get married and over the next decade, adopt two daughters. But the same year, Sully gains his second daughter. Tragedy strikes. Sully's father suffers a burst gallbladder, and at first it seems like a minor medical problem. But after it becomes infected, the elder Sullenberger is placed in intensive care for weeks. Doctors assure Sully that his father will recover, though it will be a long, painful and difficult process. Sully takes solace in this and hopes for his father's recovery. But on the day he is released from the hospital, Sully's father commits suicide. This shocking loss reshapes the way Sully looks at the world. He begins to place a higher value on life after seeing how quickly it can be taken away. And for reasons he can't understand. Sully may not have been able to save his father, but he recommits himself to cherishing life both at home and at work. Though there are challenges ahead. Just as the death of his father changes Sully, September 11, 2001 changes the airline industry. In the aftermath of these terrorist attacks, a financial meltdown forces the airlines to make cutbacks. Sully's salary is cut 40% and his pension is terminated. When the economy crashes again in 2008, the Sullenbergers face serious economic hardship. If something doesn't change, they may have to sell their house just to pay the bills. But despite these headwinds and the turning fortunes of the airline industry, Sully remains as dedicated a pilot as ever. And he will need to be as a sudden crisis puts Sully's experience to the test and his life and the lives of 154 others in danger. History Daily is sponsored by Acorns. Studying history is studying survival. And at the heart of survival most of the time, is money. It's always been a challenge. From bartering livestock to trading crypto, saving and investing feels aspirational, something you want to do, but just not right now. 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