Empires of the sky : zeppelins, airplanes, and two men's epic duel to rule the world

The Golden Age of Aviation is brought to life in this story of the giant Zeppelin airships that once roamed the sky—a story that ended with the fiery destruction of the Hindenburg . “Genius . . . a definitive tale of an incredible time when mere mortals learned to fly.”—Keith O’Brien, The New York Times At the dawn of the twentieth century, when human flight was still considered an impossibility, Germany’s Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin vied with the Wright Brothers to build the world’s first successful flying machine. As the Wrights labored to invent the airplane, Zeppelin fathered the remarkable airship, sparking a bitter rivalry between the two types of aircraft and their innovators that would last for decades, in the quest to control one of humanity’s most inspiring achievements. And it was the airship—not the airplane—that led the way. In the glittery 1920s, the count’s brilliant protégé, Hugo Eckener, achieved undreamed-of feats of daring and skill, including the extraordinary Round-the-World voyage of the Graf Zeppelin . At a time when America’s airplanes—rickety deathtraps held together by glue, screws, and luck—could barely make it from New York to Washington, D.C., Eckener’s airships serenely traversed oceans without a single crash, fatality, or injury. What Charles Lindbergh almost died doing—crossing the Atlantic in 1927—Eckener had effortlessly accomplished three years before the Spirit of St. Louis even took off. Even as the Nazis sought to exploit Zeppelins for their own nefarious purposes, Eckener built his masterwork, the behemoth Hindenburg —a marvel of design and engineering. Determined to forge an airline empire under the new flagship, Eckener met his match in Juan Trippe, the ruthlessly ambitious king of Pan American Airways, who believed his fleet of next-generation planes would vanquish Eckener’s coming airship armada. It was a fight only one man—and one technology—could win. Countering each other’s moves on the global chessboard, each seeking to wrest the advantage from his rival, the struggle for mastery of the air was a clash not only of technologies but of business, diplomacy, politics, personalities, and the two men’s vastly different dreams of the future. Empires of the Sky is the sweeping, untold tale of the duel that transfixed the world and helped create our modern age. At the dawn of the twentieth century, when human flight was still considered an impossibility, Germany's Count von Zeppelin vied with the Wright Brothers to build the world's first successful flying machine. As the Wrights labored to invent the airplane, Zeppelin fathered the wondrous airship, sparking a bitter rivalry between the two types of aircraft and their innovators that would last for decades in the quest to control one of humanity's most inspiring achievements. And it was the airship -- not the airplane -- that would lead the way. In the glittery 1920s, the count's brilliant protégé, Hugo Eckener, achieved undreamt-of feats of daring and skill, including the extraordinary Round-the-World Voyage of the Graf Zeppelin. At a time when America's airplanes -- rickety deathtraps held together by glue, screws, and luck -- could barely make it from New York to Washington, Eckener's airships serenely traversed oceans without a single crash, fatality, or injury. What Charles Lindbergh almost died doing -- crossing the Atlantic in 1927 -- Eckener effortlessly accomplished three years before the Spirit of St. Louis even took off. Even as the Nazis sought to exploit Zeppelins for their own nefarious purposes, Eckener built his masterwork, the behemoth Hindenburg -- a marvel of design and engineering. Determined to forge an airline empire under the new flagship, Eckener met his match in Juan Trippe, the ruthlessly ambitious king of Pan American Airways, who believed his fleet of next-generation planes would vanquish Eckener's coming airship armada. It was a fight only one man -- and one technology -- could win. Countering each other's moves on the global chessboard, each seeking to wrest the advantage from his rival, the two men's struggle for mastery of the air was not only the clash of technologies, but of business, diplomacy, politics, personalities, and their vastly different dreams of the future. Empires of the Sky is the sweeping, untold tale of the duel that transfixed the world and helped create our modern age. "Of all people who might have solved the problem of human flight, few would have suspected Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a fusty, old-school member of the Wurrtemburg nobility, recently ousted from the German military and convinced that a flying machine will be his ticket back to military glory. Instead, by the dawn of the twentieth century, he creates something much bigger: a system of flight that embodies the cutting edge of multiple sciences and a business that would last for decades and make his name synonomous with airships. Not even the Wright brothers, who were creating their competing technology at nearly the same moment, managed such close association. Zeppelin, aging, leaves his company in the hands of Hugo Eckener, his partner and publicity expert, who has a vision of the airship connecting people all over the world. He guides the Zeppelin Company, always on the brink of collapse, through the first world war and some some of Germany's most difficult years, as he tries to establish the first airline route across the Atlantic. But, just as Zeppelin had a rival for the best flight technology in the Wright Bros., Eckener meets his match in Pan American's Juan Trippe in the race to secure a financially sustainable and popular airline business. Both Eckener and Trippe dream of establishing service between London and New York, a valuable, but surprisingly difficult route that sends them both first around the globe to perfect their machines and solidify their businesses. Only with the Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and the distant rumblings of another world war, does the race come to an end. The airplane has won. Twilight of the Gods is an epic history of the founding of the aviation age. From invention to competition, the battle to dominate the skies is the story of how the modern world was made"--. Provided by publisher "Of all people who might have solved the problem of human flight, few would have suspected Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a fusty, old-school member of the Wurrtemburg nobility, recently ousted from the German military and convinced that a flying machine will be his ticket back to military glory. Instead, by the dawn of the twentieth century, he creates something much bigger: a system of flight that embodies the cutting edge of multiple sciences and a business that would last for decades and make his name synonymous with airships. Not even the Wright brothers, who were creating their competing technology at nearly the same moment, managed such close association. Zeppelin, aging, leaves his company in the hands of Hugo Eckener, his partner and publicity expert, who has a vision of the airship connecting people all over the world. He guides the Zeppelin Company, always on the brink of collapse, through the first world war and some of Germany's most difficult years, as he tries to establish the first airline route across the Atlantic. But, just as Zeppelin had a rival for the best flight technology in the Wright Bros., Eckener meets his match in Pan American's Juan Trippe in the race to secure a financially sustainable and popular airline business. Both Eckener and Trippe dream of establishing service between London and New York, a valuable, but surprisingly difficult route that sends them both first around the globe to perfect their machines and solidify their businesses. Only with the Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and the distant rumblings of another world war, does the race come to an end. The airplane has won. Twilight of the Gods is an epic history of the founding of the aviation age. From invention to competition, the battle to dominate the skies is the story of how the modern world was made"-- Provided by publisher