Stories of daring, stories of technological feats, stories of prevailing against the odds ... these are the stories we tell at the National Air and Space Museum. Dive in to the stories below to discover, learn, and be inspired. 

Showing 1 - 10 of 29

December 18, 2024 A Beautiful Restored Biplane Represents a Future That Never Was Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk was a light 1930s biplane fighter aircraft that was designed to launch from the United States Navy airships USS Akron and Macon.

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September 22, 2023 A Firsthand Account of an Airship's 1920s Crossing of the U.S. Story | Air & Space Quarterly

A new online interactive experience from the National Air and Space Museum explores the history of the USS Shenandoah 

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September 20, 2023 Are We in an Airship Renaissance? Story | Air & Space Quarterly

One hundred years after the first U.S. Navy airship took to the skies, zeppelins and blimps are poised to make a comeback

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February 14, 2023 Cornelius Coffey: Aviator and Educator Story

Cornelius Coffey was an advocate for the education of Black Americans in aeronautics.  

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August 23, 2022 By Air or Rail? Why Not Both! Story

In 1929, Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) started passenger service between New York and Los Angeles using a combination of trains and planes.

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July 18, 2022 Roscoe Turner and Gilmore the Flying Lion Story

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a...lion?

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May 20, 2022 90 Years After Her Solo Transatlantic Flight: What Would Amelia Earhart Think About Women in Aviation? Story

Amelia Earhart’s remarkable 1932 flight still stands today as a significant milestone in aviation history and women’s history. Earhart was a decorated pilot, a major celebrity, and an impactful woman whose surprising construction of a 1930s aviation career remains an inspiration to 21st century women and men. Curator Dorothy Cochrane reflects on her life and the role she would play if she were alive today.

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May 06, 2022 Dealing with the Aftermath of the Hindenburg Disaster Story

On May 6, 1937, German airship LZ 129 Hindenburg burst into flames upon its approach to Naval Air Station Lakehurst, in New Jersey. Soon after, the airship plummeted to the ground in a crash that shocked the world. The incident marked the beginning of the end of the era of the airship. Read about one of most famous disasters in aviation history.

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December 28, 2021 The Early Airlines You Might Not Have Heard Of Story

After World War I, many people began to operate commercial airlines. But every one of these early efforts failed because of high operating costs.

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December 13, 2021 The Air Mail Crisis Story

Air mail had helped the commercial aviation industry thrive in its early days. Contracts to deliver mail were awarded to airlines by the federal government, but small, independent airlines complained that the way contracts were distributed was unfair.

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