S8 Ep857: Alcock and Brown's 1919 triumph predated Charles Lindbergh's famous crossing by eight years; Lindbergh himself credited them for showing the way. Following their landing, the pair was celebrated across London, eventually attending a luncheon where

Alcock and Brown's 1919 triumph predated Charles Lindbergh's famous crossing by eight years; Lindbergh himself credited them for showing the way. Following their landing, the pair was celebrated across London, eventually attending a luncheon where a young Winston Churchill, then Minister of War and Air, presented the £10,000 prize. Churchill was an early and industrious devotee of aviation. The saga concluded with a poignant banquet in Mayfair where twenty people, including former rivals and engineers, gathered around a single table. The atmosphere shifted from intense competition to a collective celebration of an achievement that changed the world. The Vickers Vimy remains a romantic symbol of this breakthrough in London's Science Museum. David Rooney reflects that this "big hop" into the unknown represents a human spirit of discovery that will likely be mirrored in a future trip to Mars. (4/4)
1925