Today in History – November 26, 2003 – The Concorde, the most successful supersonic passenger jet in history, is completely retired from flight. Although successful as a collaborative technical effort, it did not survive the marketplace; it was too expensive to maintain, demand was not high enough at the prices required and the public put many constraints on flight paths due to the noise pollution of the sonic boom.
For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on the Concorde, supersonic flight and aerospace engineering. Curricular resources and events can be found on the Aerospace Engineering Education Community site.
Also on this date in history in 1789, the first national Thanksgiving in the United States was proclaimed by President George Washington. The holiday that Americans celebrate annually on the last Thursday in November commemorates an event on the Virginia Berkeley Plantation on December 4, 1621. Although saved by the charity of the local Native Americans who supplied much of the food for this “thanksgiving” event, the clash of Native and European cultures was to lead to bloodshed on all sides. The “Indian Massacre of 1622″ led to the abandonment of the Berkeley settlement as surviving colonists withdrew to Jamestown and more secure settlements. Future thanksgiving events were tainted by scores of deaths of Native Americans from smallpox and other diseases brought by the Europeans. It is no wonder that Native American engineers are extremely rare; the numbers are low in the general population and the hard technology approaches are at odds with their more organic view of human’s role in nature. AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society) and ACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) are professional societies dedicated to encouraging Native American and Chicano/Latino students to pursue education in science and engineering, develop leadership skills, and prepare for professional and teaching careers at all levels. For more educational information see the Engineering Pathway’s resources on Native American and Hispanic engineers and scientists.