After the physics of nuclear fission brought an astonishing and awful end to World War II, scientific advancement soared to the fore of national priority lists in countries across the globe. The atomic age was at hand, and science and security were inextricably intertwined. Yet in the space race born of the rivalry between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., there was something more than military supremacy at stake—something more glamorous. In this “race,” which blossomed into a worldwide contest spanning all aspects of aviation, literal speed was paramount, and every day offered a fresh chance to build the sleekest, sexiest aircraft ever to grace the skies.
Few examples of Cold War aerodynamic elegance could hope to outshine the Concorde, the needle-nosed, delta-winged, ivory-white passenger plane developed jointly by France and England throughout the 1960s. The Concorde, lovingly dubbed l’oiseau blanc (“the white bird”) among French speakers, made its commercial airport debut in 1976, following a series of high-profile flight tests that captured the imaginations of millions.
