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The Flight of the Century - Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation (Paperback)
Loot Price: R1,159
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The Flight of the Century - Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation (Paperback)
Series: Pivotal Moments in American History
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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In late May 1927 an inexperienced and unassuming 25-year-old Air
Mail pilot from rural Minnesota stunned the world by making the
first nonstop transatlantic flight. A spectacular feat of
individual daring and collective technological accomplishment,
Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris ushered in
America's age of commercial aviation. In The Flight of the Century,
Thomas Kessner takes a fresh look at one of America's greatest
moments, explaining how what was essentially a publicity stunt
became a turning point in history. Kessner vividly recreates the
flight itself and the euphoric reaction to it on both sides of the
Atlantic, and argues that Lindbergh's amazing feat occurred just
when the world-still struggling with the disillusionment of
WWI-desperately needed a hero to restore a sense of optimism and
innocence. Kessner also shows how new forms of mass media made
Lindbergh into the most famous international celebrity of his time,
casting him in the role of a humble yet dashing American hero of
rural origins and traditional values. Much has been made of
Lindbergh's personal integrity and his refusal to cash in on his
fame. But Kessner reveals that Lindbergh was closely allied with,
and managed by, a group of powerful businessmen-Harry Guggenheim,
Dwight Morrow, and Henry Breckenridge chief among them-who sought
to exploit aviation for mass transport and massive profits. Their
efforts paid off as commercial air traffic soared from 6,000
passengers in 1926 to 173,000 passengers in 1929. Kessner's book is
the first to fully explore Lindbergh's central role in promoting
the airline industry-the rise of which has influenced everything
from where we live to how we wage war and do business. The Flight
of the Century sheds new light on one of America's fascinatingly
enigmatic heroes and most transformative moments.
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