logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
41m 18s

991: Saturday Matinee: American History ...

Airship | Noiser | Wondery
About this episode

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.



History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

Up next
Today
1307: Birth Control Activist Margaret Sanger Stands Trial
January 29, 1917. American activist Margaret Sanger stands trial after opening two birth control clinics in New York. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history ... Show More
15m 37s
Yesterday
1306: The Challenger Disaster
January 28, 1986. A routine shuttle launch turns into national tragedy when the Challenger spacecraft explodes live on television, killing all seven onboard. This episode originally aired in 2022. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily i ... Show More
18m 57s
Jan 27
1305: The End of the Siege of Leningrad
January 27, 1944. Soviet forces defeat the German army outside Leningrad, ending an 872-day siege. This episode originally aired in 2025. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily. ... Show More
16m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
History Daily: Breaking the Sound Barrier
<p>October 14, 1947. US Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, a feat many aviators previously believed impossible.</p><p><br></p><p>You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to ... Show More
16m 21s
Jan 2025
The Wright Brothers | Fliers or Liars | 2
<p>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 th ... Show More
40m 28s
Jan 2025
Barnstorming with pilot Patty Wagstaff
<p>This week we're joined by 3 x National Aerobatic Champion, Patty Wagstaff, whose winning plane now hangs in the Smithsonian. She shares her story and discusses one of our favorite characters from history, aviation pioneer Pancho Barnes. We talk about getting kicked out of Cath ... Show More
50m 18s
Feb 2025
Jamestown: The Journey To America
<p>In May 1607, over 100 English settlers arrived at Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of North America. Traveling 50 miles inland along the James River, they established what would become the first permanent English settlement: Jamestown. But what motivated their journey? Why was ... Show More
30m 26s
Oct 9
The First Hawaiians
Tristan Hughes goes on an exploration of Hawaii's earliest settlers, guided by the insights of Dr. Patrick Kirch, a leading expert on Hawaiian archeology. From the arrival of Polynesians around AD 1000, using sophisticated double-hull canoes, to their unique agricultural practice ... Show More
51m 57s
Apr 2025
Lexington and Concord: 250 years on
On 19 April 1775, American militia and British regulars clashed at Lexington and Concord in what would become the first battles of the Revolutionary War. But, as historian George Goodwin reveals, the significance of the fighting lay as much in how it was reported as in what actua ... Show More
41m 8s
Jun 2025
Was Pearl Harbor an inside job?
On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. It’s one of the most notorious surprise attacks in history, but how much of a surprise actually was it? Did President Franklin Roosevelt know that the attack was coming and even encourage it as a means of prope ... Show More
36m 22s
Oct 2
Who Was the Worst President Ever?
What makes a bad President? Who was the worst of all time? Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency and co-host of This Is Democracy.Next week we'll be looking at who is the best President ever!Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Se ... Show More
32m 28s