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The Flight of the Century - Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R568
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The Flight of the Century - Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation (Hardcover)
Series: Pivotal Moments in American History
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List price R704
Loot Price R568
Discovery Miles 5 680
You Save R136 (19%)
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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 non-stop 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. He
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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