It took pride, deceit, and a giant catapult to set off the feud between the Wright brothers and the Smithsonian. On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright made history when he flew over 800 feet across a blustery beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The airplane he flew that day is now a centerpiece of the National Air and Space Museum’s collection. This is the story of how it nearly wasn’t.

Guests: 

Peter Jakab, senior curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum 

Tom Crouch, senior curator emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum