Calendar of Events

Heroes of Aviation: Beyond the Wright Brothers

Nearly every city in America has a street named after the Wright Brothers, and more often than not that street leads to the local airport. This pays homage to the two brothers from Cedar Rapids who are credited as the inventors of the modern airplane—but are they? The history of how humankind took to the air is more nuanced and convoluted than the familiar Wright brothers narrative lets on. In this four-week forum, Associate Professor of Physics Caio Bragatto, will explain the physics, history and evolution of the airplane. The series will offer an introduction to the history of flight, lesser-known heroes of aviation and the ways people have continually innovated in their attempts to conquer the skies. The first two sessions will provide a timeline of events and an overview of the famous and less-familiar scientists, inventors and aviators involved with the creation of airplanes and the history of flight, including Englishman Sir George Cayley, German Otto Lilienthal and Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont. We will explore why there is so much debate about who actually flew the first airplane and how we can solve that question by using different definitions of what constitutes an airplane. In week three, we will focus on the science of flying machines and how something heavier than air is capable of flight. This will include an introduction to concepts like fluid dynamics, gravity, thrust and lift as well as illustrations of those concepts using models and paper airplanes. The final session will discuss modern flying vehicles, from rocket ships to supersonic airplanes, and other recent advances in aviation.

Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.

Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and one- and two-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance at www.coe.edu/thursday-forum. For more information, visit the Thursday Forum website or call 319.399.8523.

In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.

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