Bill Lear will go down as one of the most incredible inventors of the 20th century. The man who created the car radio, miniature tuning coils for radios, who invented auto-pilot, radio guidance for airplanes, and the basic automatic landing system that is still in refined use today he also invented the 8-track tape, and his biggest accomplishment, The Lear Jet.
There is one area where he failed spectacularly at though. Bending the laws of physics. Later in life Lear became obsessed with steam engines and steam power to end pollution. He designed steam engines, and was planning on running the 1969 Indy 500 with a steam powered race car! It was a spectacular failure lead by a dubious English engineer who’s credentials fell far short of Lear’s. He would go on to create a working steam city bus among other things but the Indy 500 effort was really something.
Rich, eccentric, and seemingly unstoppable, the laws of nature ground Bill Lear to a halt and cost him the majority of the fortune he made in his life. This is the story, some of it in Lear’s own words, of how that happened.
4.3 The Greatest Race You've Never Heard Of: A History of Bahamas Speed Week 1954-1966
4.2 The Wild History Of INDOOR Drag Racing In Chicago During The 1960s!
4.1 Drag Racing's Darkest Day: The 1969 Yellow River Drag Strip Disaster
3.7 Origin Story: How Stock Car Racing Was Born In Los Angeles Circa 1934!
3.6: Consumed: The First Ferris Wheel and How It Ruined The Life Of George Washington Ferris
3.5: Cold War Crushers: The Awesome History of The Air Force Heavy Press Program
3.4: Fastest - An Oral History of the 1992 Hot Rod Magazine Fastest Street Car Shootout
3.3: Beating Hitler With Combines - The Epic Story of The 1944 Harvest Brigade
3.2 Small Blocks vs The World: The Wild Story of The 1971 Questor Grand Prix
3.1: Unstable - The Deadly and Explosive History of Headlights
2.5: Rip Tide: The Incredible and Dark History of The World‘s Water Speed Record
2.4: 1,000 Ton Sucker Punch - The Wild Story Of WWI Q-Ships
2.3: Too Fat To Fly: The Crazy Story Of How Super Speedway Big Rig Racing Was Born!
2:2 - Truckin' Amazing: The Story of WWII's Red Ball Express
2.1: Suicidal Speed and Splinters - A History Of Board Track Racing In America
1.28 Out Of Gas At 41,000ft: The Unbelievable Story Of The Gimli Glider
1.27: Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal: The Weird History of Staged Locomotive Wrecks 1896-1935
1.25: A Race To Oblivion: The 1927 Dole Air Derby
1.24: The Best Worst Ship Ever - The Story Of The SS Great Eastern
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