Famous Dirigibles: The History and Legacy of Lighter than Air Vehicles from the Renaissance to Today
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by David Bernard
()
About this audiobook
Aircraft appeared in the skies over the battlefields of World War I, but they did not represent a complete novelty in warfare either, at least not during the early months of World War I. While airplanes had never before appeared above the field of war, other aerial vehicles had already been in use for decades, and balloons had carried soldiers above the landscape for centuries to provide a high observation point superior to most geological features. The French used a balloon for this purpose at the Battle of Fleurus in 1794, and by the American Civil War, military hydrogen balloons saw frequent use, filled from wagons generating hydrogen from iron filings and sulfuric acid. The balloonist Thaddeus Lowe persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to use the airships for observation, communicating troop movements to the ground with a telegraph wire.
Indeed, with advances in dirigible technology, many military thinkers and even aeronautical enthusiasts believed that blimps would remain the chief military aerial asset more or less forever. These men thought airplanes would play a secondary role at best, and that they might even prove a uselessly expensive gimmick soon to fade back into obscurity, leaving the majestic bulk of the dirigible as sole master of the skies. While this obviously did not prove true, dirigibles proved popular in a variety of different ways throughout the 20th century, and they continued to be complements even as airplane technologies rapidly advanced.
Famous Dirigibles: The History and Legacy of Lighter than Air Vehicles from the Renaissance to Today looks at the development of the balloons and airships, and how they were primarily used.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vandals: The History and Legacy of Antiquity's Most Famous Barbarians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Medieval England: The History of England from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Tudor Dynasty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSigmund Freud and Carl Jung: The Pioneering Lives and Works of History’s Most Influential Psychologists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Famous Dirigibles
Related audiobooks
Modern Balloons and Airships: The History and Legacy of Dirigibles during the 20th Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory Revealed: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Episode 12 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Giants Ruled the Sky: The Brief Reign and Tragic Demise of the American Rigid Airship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gunpowder and the Printing Press: The History and Legacy of the Inventions that Modernized Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEarly Balloons and Airships: The History and Legacy of Dirigibles Before the Invention of Airplanes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Zeppelins of World War I: The History and Legacy of Zeppelin Air Raids during the Great War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The World’s Deadliest Plagues: The History and Legacy of the Worst Global Pandemics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Spanish and Portuguese in the New World: The History and Legacy of the First European Rivalry in the Americas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dramatic Rise and Fall of the Portuguese Empire: The History and Legacy of Portugal’s Mercantile Empire across the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHannah Duston: A Captivating Guide to the First American Woman to Have a Statue Built in Her Honor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sundaland and Doggerland: The History and Mysteries of the Sunken Landmasses in Asia and Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritish Intelligence in the World Wars: The History and Legacy of Britain’s Covert Activities during Both Conflicts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrunwald and Orsha: The History and Legacy of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Most Decisive Battles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Age of Piracy: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Popularity of Pirates Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAsia Minor’s Most Prominent Ancient Cities: The History and Legacy of the Influential Cities that Dominated the Region in Antiquity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rise and Decline of the Redneck Riviera: An Insider's History of the Florida-Alabama Coast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5America’s Weirdest Riots: The History and Legacy of the Most Unique American Riots Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rus’: The History and Legacy of the Group that Established a Russian State in the Middle Ages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory Revealed: The City in the Sky: Episode 26 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Avars and Magyars: The History of the Medieval Ethnic Groups that Settled in Hungary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Panic of 1792: The History and Legacy of America’s First Financial Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The War of the Keys: The History and Legacy of the Military Conflict Between the Holy Roman Empire and the Vatican Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Basilica of the Sacréd Heart of Paris: The History and Legacy of the Sacré-Cœur Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory of Mesopotamia: The Ancient World of Kings and Queens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica’s First Korean War: The History and Legacy of the United States Expedition to Korea in 1871 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Portuguese Empire and the Americas: The History and Legacy of Portugal’s Exploration and Colonization in the New World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Modern History For You
In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cold War: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Generation Kill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed or Fail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In Plain Sight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Short Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Revolution: The War for Independence and the Birth of the United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ghost Map Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Memoirs of a Wartime Interpreter: From the Battle for Moscow to Hitler's Bunker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Path Between the Seas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Famous Dirigibles
0 ratings0 reviews