يحاولGOLD- Free

THE RACE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

BBC History UK|Christmas 2023
In 1969, everyone from Prince Michael of Kent to Billy Butlin competed in a dash between London and New York aboard tandems, sedan chairs and jump jets recalls a madcap forerunner of Race Across the World
- Rachel Harris-Gardiner
THE RACE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

If you had been walking along the streets of eastern Manhattan on 5 May 1969, you would have been greeted by a curious sight. Hovering in the skies above the great metropolis like a giant steel kestrel was one of the most technically advanced military aircraft in history. Instead of rolling down a runway, the plane slowly descended vertically to the ground in a cloud of dust. Once it touched down, its canopy opened and a pilot hopped out and zoomed off towards the Empire State Building in a red motorcycle.

What on Earth was going on? And why was the pilot in such a hurry? The answer is that he was one of the frontrunners in an event called the Daily Mail Transatlantic Air Race, and he was just a matter of miles away from scooping a £6,000 prize for bagging first in class.

The giant steel kestrel – which was, in fact, a Hawker Siddeley Harrier, among the Royal Air Force’s most prized pieces of kit – was just one of the many weird and wonderful vehicles to convey competitors across the Atlantic in the seven-day competition. Tandems, sedan chairs, speedboats and hot-air balloons were all deployed in an attempt to cover the 3,400 miles that separated the start and end points as quickly as possible. With everyone from racing drivers and athletes to millionaire businessmen and high-ranking royals throwing their hats into the ring, it’s hardly surprising that this madcap, high-speed contest made headlines around the world.

Simple but deceptive

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Christmas 2023 من BBC History UK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Christmas 2023 من BBC History UK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,500 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من BBC HISTORY UK مشاهدة الكل
Clash of tastes
BBC History UK

Clash of tastes

SUZANNE FAGENCE COOPER enjoys an account of the clash between Victorian art’s chief critic and its enfant terrible

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2025
Britain goes global
BBC History UK

Britain goes global

LAUREN WORKING applauds a kaleidoscopic exploration of how James VI & I fuelled Britain's global ambitions, paving the way for the future empire

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2025
"Edward III perpetrated one of the most brutal acts of war committed during the Middle Ages"
BBC History UK

"Edward III perpetrated one of the most brutal acts of war committed during the Middle Ages"

HELEN CARR speaks to Emily Briffett about the royal power struggles, bloody wars and horrific diseases that ruptured the structure of English society in the 14th century.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2025
Rock of ages
BBC History UK

Rock of ages

Dartmoor's granite tors aren't just adventure playgrounds for hikers and climbers - the stone they produced built major landmarks and supported local livelihoods. CLARE HARGREAVES climbs the most famous outcrop

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2025
Swings and Roundabouts
BBC History UK

Swings and Roundabouts

We all have childhood memories of playgrounds. But what does the evolution of outdoor play in Britain tell us about the experience of being young over the past 200 years? Jon Winder serves up a history of sandpits, bombsites and battles with cars

time-read
9 mins  |
July 2025
Nation-building
BBC History UK

Nation-building

This provocative book challenges established interpretations, conceptualisations and evaluations surrounding the birth of the modern Greek nation-state in 1830.

time-read
1 min  |
July 2025
BBC History UK

Mother tongue

The title of Laura Spinney's lively, well-illustrated book refers to Proto-Indo-European (PIE).

time-read
1 min  |
July 2025
"Freedom and democracy are not to be taken for granted"
BBC History UK

"Freedom and democracy are not to be taken for granted"

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, on 5 May prime minister SIR KEIR STARMER hosted a tea party in Downing Street for Second World War veterans, schoolchildren and people with links to the armed forces. Following the event, he spoke to our correspondent York Membery about why marking the anniversary is so important - and the resonances with the current war in Ukraine

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2025
ELIZABETH I'S FORBIDDEN LOVE
BBC History UK

ELIZABETH I'S FORBIDDEN LOVE

In 1579, the queen embarked on a romance with a French duke she affectionately dubbed her “frog”. The pair seemed destined for marriage. Yet, writes Elizabeth Tunstall, the people of England had other ideas...

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2025
Beach warriors
BBC History UK

Beach warriors

SAUL DAVID is enthralled by a detailed account of the Allied assault on Sword beach during the pivotal landings of June 1944

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2025

نحن نستخدم ملفات تعريف الارتباط لتقديم خدماتنا وتحسينها. باستخدام موقعنا ، فإنك توافق على ملفات تعريف الارتباط. يتعلم أكثر