Although most credit Wilbur and Orville Wright with America’s first powered flight, two months before the brothers lifted off the sands of Kitty Hawk, a French immigrant named August Greth flew an airship of his own design across the skies of San Francisco. L.A. Birdmen is the fascinating and forgotten story of America’s first aviators—Californians like August Greth, Tom Baldwin, Roy Knabenshue, John Montgomery, and James Zerbe. Possessing a rare blend of ingenuity, creativity, and bravery, these pilots captured the world’s attention in 1910 when Los Angeles hosted America’s first international airshow. L.A. Birdmen offers a high-flying account of the West Coast contribution to aviation, a little-recognized chapter in the story of American flight.
Choose your own price for non-members. Free for MTH&M and community members. REGISTER HERE.
Copies of LA Birdmen are available for purchase through the Mark Twain Store; proceeds benefit The Mark Twain House & Museum. Books will be shipped after the event. We regret that we are NOT able to ship books outside the United States as it is cost-prohibitive to do so.
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About the Author:
Richard J. Goodrich earned his Ph. D, at St. Andrews and spent twenty years teaching ancient history in Britain and the United States. In addition to six academic texts, he is the author of Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley’s Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization.
About the Moderator:
Kevin O’Connor is a Professor of History at Gonzaga University. He has taught there since 2004. He is author of a number of books, including, The History of the Baltic States, Culture and Customs of the Baltic States, and Intellectuals and Apparatchiks.
