logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
40m 28s

The Wright Brothers | Fliers or Liars | ...

Wondery
About this episode

By 1903, inventors and adventurers in Britain and France were launching their own experimental aircraft skyward. In the U.S., crowds gathered outside Washington, D.C. to see Samuel Langley of the Smithsonian Institution test his highly-anticipated “aerodrome”, only to watch the machine crash in the Potomac River. But on December 17th, 1903, on the sand dunes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Wilbur Wright climbed onto the lower wing of his homemade “Flyer” to make history.

Order your copy of the new American History Tellers book, The Hidden History of the White House, for behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most dramatic events in American history—set right inside the house where it happened.

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Listen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-history-tellers/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
Shootout at the O.K. Corral | The Road to Tombstone | 1
In the 1880s the booming silver mining town of Tombstone, Arizona was home to one of the most famous gunfights in American history. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt's brothers try to bring law and order to a small town, but they clash with a gang of outlaw cowboys, leading a l ... Show More
38m 13s
Oct 1
Daring Prison Escapes | Escape from Libby Prison | 5
In early 1864, a group of Union prisoners made a daring escape from Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia - the capital of the Confederacy. Known for its sadistic guards and horrific conditions, Union Officers at Libby suffered from hunger, lice, and the freezing cold. In this episo ... Show More
40m 41s
Sep 24
Daring Prison Escapes | Nazis in the Arizona Desert | 4
During World War II, the United States housed hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers who had been captured as prisoners of war. Camp Papago Park, located in Phoenix, was built to hold captured German U-boat crew members, some of the most well-trained and ardent members of the Ge ... Show More
37 m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Ben Franklin: Secret Spy
Benjamin Franklin is known for his role as a Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat. But he had another role: spymaster. As the American colonies fought for independence against the British, Franklin traveled to Paris to help win French support. But as it turned out, he was ente ... Show More
41m 44s
Jan 2025
Saturday Matinee: American History Tellers
On today’s Saturday Matinee, we prepare for takeoff with the Wright Brothers and hear their story about how they created the first airplane to take flight. Link to American History Tellers: https://wondery.com/shows/american-history-tellers/ Support the show! Join Into History fo ... Show More
41m 18s
Feb 2025
Nome Serum Run: Race Against Death | Togo’s Descendants | 4
In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the Nome Serum Run, Maine musher Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes is recreating the run. And he’s doing it with a team descended directly from Leonhard Seppala’s original dogs. Today, Hayes joins host Mike Corey to talk about the inspiration and pr ... Show More
36 m
Jun 2025
The Secret of Churchill’s Anthrax Island
Towards the end of WWII, Winston Churchill decided it was time for Britain to develop deadly bioweapons. He chose a remote island off of Scotland where experiments could be carried out away from human contact. But toxic secrets often have a way of resurfacing. Years later, a grou ... Show More
34m 17s
Jan 2025
Challenger Disaster | Revisiting the Tragedy | 5
Like most people who were alive in 1986, filmmaker Steven Leckart remembers the Challenger disaster. He was a kid in elementary school at the time. But as an adult, Leckart set out to explore the aftermath of what happened through interviews with astronauts’ family members, engin ... Show More
36m 41s
Mar 2025
Muhammad Ali vs. The Draft | The Final Round | 3
By 1969, Muhammad Ali is at a crossroads, his career and freedom hanging in the balance as his draft evasion case reaches the Supreme Court. Behind closed doors, justices clash over his fate, and an unexpected voice shapes the final decision. Be the first to know about Wondery’s ... Show More
40m 56s
Aug 19
FAN FAVORITE: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazon Expedition | A Killer in Their Midst | 3
Challenges mount as the expedition travels farther down the river. With the end of their journey nowhere in sight, hunger and disease take their toll on the men. Colonel Rondon wonders if members of an indigenous tribe are following them … and waiting to attack. Tensions between ... Show More
44m 59s
Aug 21
Can Southwest Airlines Survive? | Bumpy Skies Ahead | 3
Southwest Airlines announced some big changes recently, and customers of the “Love Airline” are not feeling it. Joe Guinto, a business reporter who wrote this season, joins David to discuss the airline’s next steps, and what it’ll take to keep fans and employees loyal. Later, Ban ... Show More
39m 52s
Sep 30
The Big Burn | The Driest Summer | 1
In the summer of 1910, a severe drought turned Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene National Forest into a tinderbox. Spot fires cropped up around the mining towns of Wallace and Avery and it was the job of forest rangers like Ed Pulaski to put them out. But when a massive windstorm swept throu ... Show More
41m 24s
Jul 31
How the Horse Changed the World: Interview with Author David Chaffetz
David Chaffetz, author of the recent and truly outstanding book Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires, joins Tides to talk about the long and intertwined history of horses and people in Central Asia and beyond. The trade in horses, not silks and spices, ... Show More
40m 8s