The 1927 Dole Air Race stands as one of the most bizarre and tragic events in the history of flight. Paid for by James Dole, the pineapple magnate, the race was designed to capitalize on the fame that came from Charles Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic on a solo flight. The twist was that the people in this race were to fly from Oakland, California to Hawaii.
15 airplanes entered the race and the death toll was nearly a dozen lives by the time the event concluded. The intersection of bravery, ignorance, fame, and the chase for big money all came to a head at this event and it helped to shape the future of American aviation.
Oh, it should be mentioned that the whole thing was rendered largely pointless just months and weeks before when multiple people completed the incredibly difficult flight across the Pacific ahead of the actual race.
1.24: The Best Worst Ship Ever - The Story Of The SS Great Eastern
1.23: Operation Snowbound: How American Teamwork Saved Millions of People and Livestock During The Worst Winter Ever
1.22: Knievel vs The Canyon: The Insane and Incredible Story Of The Snake River Canyon Jump
1.21: Henry's Big Screwjob: How The Dodge Brothers and Henry Ford Made Millions While Hating Each Other
1.20: Honest Abe Was A Gearhead: How Abraham Lincoln Became The Only President With A Patent and More!
1.19: Wally vs The World: How Wally Parks Shocked America And Gained Control of Drag Racing In 1958
1.18: A Miraculous Disaster - In 1949 The Holland Tunnel Burned At 4,000-Degrees And No One Died
1.17: How To Mow Down A Forest Like Grass: The Brutal Genius Of Operation Highball In 1950
1.16: The Forgotten Disaster - How America's Worst Maritime Nightmare Happened In 1865 And Who It Happened To
1.15: The Killer Plane and The American Hero That Tamed It - Jimmy Doolittle and the 300mph Gee Bee R1
1.14: The 576mph Backyard Hot Rodder - Art Arfons Was America's Fastest Do It All Bad Ass
1.13: Hellfighter The Story Of The Mack Super Pumper A Firetruck Mighty Enough To Extinguish Hell Itself
1.12: The Race To Death: The 1903 Paris to Madrid Contest Was The Worst Race Ever Held
1.11 Don't Judge A Failure By It's Cover: The Insane Story Of The Vulcan Shuttle
1.10: International Incident- How American Indy Cars Destroyed Formula One Cars Heads Up At Monza In 1957 and 1958
1.9: The Wrong Guys With The Wrong Car: How Two Drag Racers Set The Closed Course Speed Record At Daytona In 1961
1.8: They Partied Like Hell - The Story Of Wreckage, Debauchery, and A Burning Bus At The 1974 US Grand Prix
1.7 The Final Dinosaur: The Story Of The Last Front Engine Dragster To Win An NHRA Top Fuel Wally
1.6: The Most Insane Speed Parts Company In History - Turbonique! Thrust, Danger, and Federal Prison Sentences
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