S8 Ep857: Lord Northcliffe, born Alfred Harmsworth, was a self-made newspaper mogul who recognized aviation's strategic importance early on. In 1913, his newspaper, the Daily Mail, offered a £10,000 prize for the first non-stop transatlantic flight, realizing that

Lord Northcliffe, born Alfred Harmsworth, was a self-made newspaper mogul who recognized aviation's strategic importance early on. In 1913, his newspaper, the Daily Mail, offered a £10,000 prize for the first non-stop transatlantic flight, realizing that aviation meant Britain was "no longer an island." Though the First World War suspended the challenge, it was reignited in 1919. The Vickers team was led by John "Jack" Alcock, a working-class mechanic from Manchester whose obsession with engines led him to become one of Britain's greatest pilots. He partnered with Arthur Whitten Brown, known as Ted, an American citizen and electrical engineer who had survived a harrowing war experience, including being shot down twice. Despite their different temperaments—Alcock was outgoing while Brownwas quiet and diffident—the two veterans shared a determination to achieve a great gesture for the future of aviation. (1/4)
1907