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Scientific American Trophy

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Physical Description
A spread eagle is sitting on top of a globe with a Langley airplane model on forward side, and the North and South American continents on the rear surface. The globe is suspended by clouds on top of a pillar, with three winged horses on each side of base. The base is onyx.
Plaque on base has engraved text reading: "July 4, 1908 5090 feet Aerial Experiment Association, Glenn H. Curtiss, pilot Hammondsport, N.Y.; July 17, 1909 25 miles (40.25 km) 52 min. 30 sec., Glenn H. Curtiss Mineola, N.Y.; May 29, 1910 Glenn H. Curtis Albany to Camelot, N.Y. 71 ½ miles, 1 hr. 24 min."
On bottom: "Sterling Reed and Barton."
Summary
Glenn Hammond Curtiss built an experimental airplane, the "June Bug", that responded so well to testing that he decided to enter it into a competition for the Scientific American trophy. Curtiss won the first leg in the 1908 competition, which involved flying in a straight line for a distance of one kilometer. On July 4, Curtiss piloted the "June Bug" across Pleasant Valley for a distance of 5,090 feet. It was the first officially-recognized, pre-announced and publicly-observed flight in America. It won Curtiss the first leg of the trophy and established him as America's foremost aviation pioneer.
Credit Line
Bequest of the Estate of Glenn H. Curtiss
1908
Inventory Number
A19730589000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
AWARDS-Trophies
Materials
Silver with onyx base.
Dimensions
3-D: 47 × 36 × 78.7cm (18 1/2 × 14 3/16 × 31 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Exhibition
Early Flight
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A19730589000
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv98c203c8d-aab9-44ce-bb13-c81f1c2773b4

Related Content

  • Early Flight

    Air and Space Museum
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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