As we’ve seen, the 1920s was a decade of revolutionary change. Perhaps no device had a more direct impact on our lives than the invention of the automobile. This episode charts the inventions of cars, airplanes and radio – three devices that in many ways have formed the foundation of modern society. Hear about the first flight across the Atlantic, and find out why fliers such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart became such a global superstars. Learn about the origins of modern automakers such as Ford, Fiat, BMW, Mercedes, Peugeot, Citroen, as well as the birth of commercial aviation.
Topics covered include (part I): Intro (on modernity and technology) (0:50), the meaning of flight (9:27), The first fliers (18:01), Lindbergh, Earhart and other heroic fliers (31:37), the rise of commercial air travel (45:21). Part II: Intro (summary of previous episode) (0:50), meaning of the car (1:50), Benz, Daimler and the first cars (14:53), Henry Ford and the Model T (33:03), the meaning of radio (54:13), Hertz, Marconi and the invention of radio (57:39)
Steven Parissien’s Life of the Automobile is nice popular history of the story of cars and car manufacturing. Full of fascinating details about the origins of most major car makers from Ford to FIAT to Porsche, it’s a really fun read for anyone interested in the history of cars.
Fritzsche’s fascinating cultural history begins with story of the Zeppelin craze in Germany and carries through the rest of the 20th century. He also makes a compelling argument about the broader importance of flight, which reconfirmed faith in ideas of rationality and progress after the catastrophe of the First World War.
First Flight Around the World documents the exciting journey of four American planes—the Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, and Seattle—and their crews on a race around the world. The trip held many challenges: extreme weather, tricky navigation, unfamiliar cultures, fragile planes, and few airfields. The
world fliers risked their lives for the sake of national pride. (Amazon)
Heppenheimer’s detailed look at the history of the air industry provides a thorough overview of the evolution of flight from Kitty Hawk to the contemporary age.
While we tend to think about the history of cars as primarily the story of automakers, Harp’s Michelin explores the equally important history of one of those auxiliary industries (tires) closely linked to car culture. In particular, he shows how Michelin helped perfect modern advertising, in doing so helping build modern car culture.