Jean pierre blanchard 17531809 richard branson and per lindstrand first to cross the pacific in a. The worst theatre fire in american history the legendary fire at the iroquios theatre the explosion of the hydrogen airship wingfoot express ala the hindenburg over a part of the downtown area and the loss of over 800 people in the 15 foot deep chicago river just north of the downtown area in the capsizing of the tippy excursion steamer. Home university libraries archival services digital collections wingfoot express historical photos 3897c reference url share. Thats all it took to bring the city of chicago, the great burgeoning metropolis, to the brink of collapse in the summer of 1919. Horton, reportedly asked the ships pilot, jack boettner, to divert from the original flight plan so that he could get some. Horton, reportedly asked the ships pilot, jack boettner, to divert from the original flight plan so that he. The wingfoots joined the national basketball league for the 19321933 season, playing against strong teams like indianapolis kautskys and akron firestones the latter were crowned champions. Jun 09, 2018 the blimp industry is changing, right over our noses goodyears newest airship, the wingfoot three, being assembled in a hangar near the companys akron, ohio, headquarters. What was most novel about goodyears truck, named the wingfoot express, was the big pneumatic tires it rolled on. The wingfoot express was walt arfons and tom greens jetpowered land speed record car, driven by green to a record on october 2, 1964, after walt suffered a heart attack just prior. Tom green and walt arfons wingfoot express have somehow become the forgotton holders of the land speed record. In krists doozy of an opening set piece, various chicagoans set out for work on a day in which a goodyear dirigible, called the wingfoot express, makes its maiden series of voyages around the.
The wingfoot air express was a dirigible that crashed into the illinois trust and savings building in chicago on monday july 21, 1919. Posts about allium press written by kelli christiansen. Scott, north american aviation retirees bulletin, summer 2001. Wingfoot express 1921 convoy vehicles atlas trucks. But just as the dream seemed within reach, pandemonium broke loose and the. There were five on board, including a newspaper photographer. See all 11 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Drivers harry apple and harry smeltzer waved to their coworkers and started their trip into transportation history an interstate truck run that pioneered longhaul trucking in the united states. Within 3 days, however, the record had been reset by art arfons. The truck had the first sleeper cab in the trucking industry, so that the twoman crew could alternate driving chores. Unfollow goodyear wingfoot to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. On the last day they had available, october 2, 1964, green and the car accelerated like a rocket, averaging 4.
Dale topping lta museum virtual museum of the lightertanair societys collection. On monday july 22nd, the newly constructed blimp, wingfoot express made its first flight over the city. The wingfoot express had held the record for a mere 3 days, but walt arfons was determined to come back with a new car, with a new concept. A brief history of the wingfoot lake airship base wingfoot. At a trade fair in gary, indiana in 1962, arfons met green, chief engineer for a torque wrench manufacturer. Company purchases coal mine in adena, ohio and becomes a pioneer in mechanized mining. Modernizers had an audacious, expensive plan to turn the city from a brawling, unglamorous place into the metropolis of the world. Alexs suggestion, as shown in the drawing, was to launch wingfoot vertically, to a maximum altitude of 7,500 feet, so that it would fall back to. Mar 08, 2019 pictures taken of the blimp shortly before its fiery crash into a chicago bank building. Maps air museum north canton, ohio maps air museum including the control car from the goodyear blimp spirit of akron. The blimp would have taken a more round about route avoiding the major downtown area but passenger william g. The blimp industry is changing, right over our noses the.
They moved to the midwest basketball conference in 1936 chicago duffy florals were the reigning champions, facing teams such as. Greens world record is often forgotten, as the mark was eclipsed three times in less than two weeks, including the first to break the 500 mph 800 kmh threshold. The type fd dirigible, owned by the goodyear tire and rubber company, was transporting people from grant park to the white city amusement park. Norton, a newspaper photographer asked the pilot to deviate from the planned route and fly over the loop instead so that he could take aerial. Oct 11, 2012 in june 1919, goodyear started operating its own airships. The wingfoot express had spent all day making its way to and from grant park on the edge of lake michigan.
In her latest, new yorker staff writer orlean rin tin tin. A complete timeline of world land speed records running back from andy greens current 766mph record to gaston chasselouplaubats original 1898 record. To link to this object, paste this link in email, im or document to embed this object, paste this html in website. City of scoundrels is a story of just twelve days in 1919 that shows both the rotten and good side of this teeming metropolis. One of the latter was destroyed along with the navy d1 in a hangar fire at wfl on 19 july 1920. The wingfoot express dirigible crashed in chicagos loop. Walt arfons vehicle wingfoot express ii reached speeds in excess of 580 mph but the rockets ran out of thrust before the driver could finish thru the measured mile or kilo another contender during the jetcar battle between craig breedlove and art arfons in 1965 was the innovative wingfoot express ii, the new creation of art arfons brother walt. View the complete timeline of speed records, or view pages for individual cars by following the links below. The diamondshaped studded pattern would be used for more. None of our partner shops or mates has this currently for sale.
Three goodyear trucks and a goodyear bus, each on six wheels. One crew member, two passengers and ten bank employees were killed in what was, up to that point, the worst dirigible. Goodyear builds its first blimps for the company and the u. The blimp industry is changing, right over our noses goodyears newest airship, the wingfoot three, being assembled in a hangar near the companys akron, ohio, headquarters. Summit memory view the lighter than air societys collection on summit memory. For more than 100 years, its been a consistent, quiet part of history. It all began on a balmy monday afternoon as the wingfoot express, one of goodyears fabled new blimps, soared above downtown chicago on a promotional tour. First crosscountry akron to boston truck line, the wingfoot express, started by goodyear the first trip takes 24 days. This is an original drawing by alex tremulis, who worked on the wingfoot express, sent to me by alexs nephew, steve tremulis. Samuel hawley is a writer of narrative nonfiction and fiction. Martin with his amazing mother minta martin and their mechanic roy beal. Alex drew it in the aftermath of the wingfoot s failed run for the record, when the team was wondering what to do next. Tatroe 1964 the art arfons story green monster land speed record brochure bizarre bz435 art arfons green monster 1965 l.
On july 21, 1919, an airship owned by the goodyear tire and rubber cruised over chicago, a pair of training runs that interested and delighted the people on the ground and in the citys continue reading. Of course, we have a blog, a web site, photo sharing, facebook, etc. To get from boston to san francisco in 1918, trucks in goodyears wingfoot express fleet often had to find their own roads. When the car was finished, walter took it to a drag strip in detroit to test and the driver cracked up the car. All that historythe big and the smalladds up to make the blimp and its home hangar a special part of the northeast ohio landscape. Apr 17, 2012 employing a zigzag style throughout his entertaining, troubling narrative, krist corrals several plot threads. A crew from the goodyear tire and rubber company in akron had arrived on the site several weeks earlier to assemble one of their already fabled blimps, an airship called the wingfoot express. Norton, a newspaper photographer asked the pilot to deviate from the planned route and fly over the loop instead so that he could take aerial photographs. Tom green with the wingfoot express in his wheaton, illinois garage.
Trucking history collection akronsummit county public library. Goodyear blimp santa claus express returns to florida. Goodyears goal in sending up the blimp over one of the nations biggest cities was to promote what the company saw as the future of passenger air travel. Eleven persons were killed and twentyeight injured when a gigantic dirigible on its test flight caught fire and fell 1,200 feet, crashing through the skylight of the illinois trust and savings bank building at jackson boulevard and lasalle street, shortly before 5 o. Wingfoot express historical photos 3897c university. The crowd scene at illinois state bank after the wingfoot express caught fire. The event will provide the public with an opportunity to donate to toys for tots while enjoying an upclose and personal view of wingfoot one inside the hangar in pompano beach, florida. Interesting early american aviation history how many of you know that in 1910, mighty martin marietta got its start in an abandoned california church. Overshadowed by the mighty battle between walts brother art and craig breedlove, they have a unique and perhaps unenviable position in the history books, that of holding the crown the shortest timespan. Fascinating facts on the history, heroes and cars of the land speed recordin numbers. And while time has changed the blimpdesigns and airships have come and gonewingfoot lake hangar has remained the constant. Aug 03, 2019 the crowd scene at illinois state bank after the wingfoot express caught fire. Modernizers had an audacious, expensive plan to turn the city from a brawling.
The summer of 1919 was a dramatic one, even by chicago standards. In 1964, wingfoot express returned to bonneville for a week. Apr 21, 2012 on monday july 22nd, the newly constructed blimp, wingfoot express made its first flight over the city. Special online content for buoyant flight, spring 20. On july 21, 1919, the wingfoot air express dirigible launched from grant park headed towards the white city amusement park, located in the woodlawn neighborhood on the south side. Wingfoot express airship disaster obscure histories. Trucking history collection akronsummit county public. Alexs suggestion, as shown in the drawing, was to launch wingfoot vertically, to a maximum altitude of 7,500 feet, so that it. Tom green and walt arfons wingfoot express have somehow become the forgotten holders of the land speed record. The masterfully told story of twelve volatile days in the life of chicago, when an aviation disaster, a race riot, a crippling transit strike, and a sensational child murder transfixed and roiled a city already on the brink of collapse. Overshadowed by the mightly battle between walts brother art and craig breedlove, they have a unique and perhaps unenviable position in the history books,that of holding the crown the shortest timespan. Both ships were inflated with hydrogen, the common lifting gas of the time. It happened on july 21, 1919, when a stray spark ignited the 10,000 cubic feet of hydrogen in the goodyear blimp wingfoot express as it floated above chicagos crowded loop.
The thruhikers handbook paperback june 1, 1993 by dan wingfoot bruce author 3. More than a century of innovation has secured goodyears place in history. Some of the companys most memorable contributions include. Land speed walt arfons green monster wingfoot express. When 1919 began, the city of chicago seemed on the verge of transformation. In june 1919, goodyear started operating its own airships. The wingfoot express dirigible crashed in chicagos loop on.
The wingfoot express back at walt arfons pickle road workshop courtesy tom mayenschein a rear view of the wingfoot, the scorching very apparent courtesy tom mayenschein this is an original drawing by alex tremulis, who worked on the wingfoot express, sent to me by alexs nephew, steve tremulis. Goodyear adopts the wingfoot trademark, saying it will help goodyear circle the earth. May 04, 2012 in krists doozy of an opening set piece, various chicagoans set out for work on a day in which a goodyear dirigible, called the wingfoot express, makes its maiden series of voyages around the. City of scoundrels, by gary krist the new york times. An engaging, casual history of librarians and libraries and a famous one that burned down. Walt arfons wingfoot express 1, john shinton models 06. Land speed record holders timeline history in numbers. The record changed hands 3 more times between art arfons and craig breedlove, until on october 27 the green monster concluded the 1964 records with a staggering 536.
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