Footprints in the Sky
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JiR
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※ While this work is based on historical facts, it is a work of fiction.
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■ Characters
● indicates characters with lines
● Jonathan Rogue
Lawyer
● Jonathan as a boy
● Abbott
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
● Walcott
Former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
● Glenn Curtiss
Aviation Engineer
◎ George Wheeler
Curtiss's former subordinate
◎ Thornton
Staff member of the London Museum Association
◎ Sir William Dawson
Former Director of the London Science Museum
◎ Langley
Researcher at the Smithsonian Institution
● Washington Museum Curator / Narrator
● Washington Museum Staff
● Orville Wright
/ ● Wilbur Wright
Bicycle shop owners dreaming of becoming aviation engineers
Although Jonathan is a fictional character,
the ages, eras, and events of the real people are as follows.
I hope you find this helpful as a reference.
◆0. Prologue
【 1 】 Narration:
December 17, 1948
Smithsonian Institution
(SE) Bustle of a crowd...
【 2 】 Smithsonian Institution Staff:
Wow... this is incredible...
Even though it's still over an hour until opening,
there's quite a line forming!
【 3 】 Smithsonian Institution Curator:
Well, of course there is.
After all, this thing... has returned to America for the first time in 20 years...
(Sigh)... I wish I could have shown it to them...
...even if just for a glimpse...
◆1. The Lawyer
【 4 】 Jonathan:
My name is Jonathan Logue, an attorney.
Chairman Abbott, it is a great honor to meet you for the first time.
Oh, and is that your legal counsel?
Mr. Patrick Simmons...
(As if shaking hands) A pleasure...
As for me, well...
you may call me Johnny if you like.
Now, getting straight to the point,
I first met my client, Mr. Orville Wright,
when I was seven years old,
in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
Dayton back then was full of life, unlike today.
I was a child from a middle-class family, physically weak and clumsy.
Even after children my age started attending primary school, I couldn't even ride a bicycle.
That was frustrating, so incredibly frustrating!
People even called me
Slow-witted Johnny,
and I practiced every day until it got dark in the evening,
but one day, the bicycle chain broke, and I had to go to a bicycle shop.
And that was my first meeting with Mr. Wilbur Wright and Mr. Orville Wright.
◆2. The Encounter
Scene Change (Past, Jonathan age 7)
【 5 】 Orville:
Build the engine more solidly!
【 6 】 Wilbur:
(Clicks tongue) The problem isn't the engine!
The biggest problem is the control of the airframe!
I know there's an issue with the control surfaces, but...
【 7 】 Orville:
Hmm... what about the catapult?
【 8 】 Wilbur:
The catapult has room for improvement, but I don't think that's the problem.
It's not the propulsion.
It's not the weight of the wings either.
It's the control surfaces...
How can I control the balance?
If things stay as they are, if even a slightly irregular wind blows,
I'll end up becoming a resident of the sky like Lilienthal (*).
【 9 】 (SE):
(Sound of bicycle wheels creaking)
【 10 】 Young Jonathan:
Excuse me...
【 11 】 Orville:
...Hmm?
【 12 】 Wilbur:
Oh... what is it?
【 13 】 Jonathan:
...It's broken
[ 14 ] Wilbur:
Ah... it's the chain. It'll be fixed in no time.
[ 15 ] Orville:
............It looks like fixing your heart
might take a little longer! Is something the matter?
[ 16 ] Jonathan:
Huh?
[ 17 ] Orville:
Did something happen that was sad enough to make you cry?
You're covered in mud, and look, there are tear tracks.
[ 18 ] Jonathan:
Everyone else can ride a bike, but I'm the only one who can't...
[ 19 ] Orville:
Everyone is like that at first!
[ 20 ] Wilbur:
There,
all done!
Try riding it in front of the shop.
[ 21 ] Jonathan:
Huh?!
I still can't ride it!
[ 22 ] Wilbur:
Come on, come on.
I'll hold you steady if you look like you're going to fall, okay?
[ 23 ] Jonathan:
Wait... hold on?
If you're that far away...
[ 24 ] Wilbur:
Don't underestimate my speed.
[ 25 ] Jonathan:
(Bicycle sound effect)
......Ngh... ungh
(Starts riding, but after a moment) Whoa, ah, ah, whoaaaaa
[ 26 ] Wilbur:
Whoops! (Catches the bike as it's about to fall)
[ 27 ] Orville:
............That was good.
You're almost there, you'll be able to ride it soon!
[ 28 ] Jonathan:
That's a lie!
[ 29 ] Orville:
It's not a lie!
We're pros, you know?
Think about how many bikes and cyclists we've seen!
It's not about logic when it comes to cycling, but
you've come so close!
Just a little more and you'll be able to ride!
[ 30 ] Jonathan:
I can't ride it...
[ 31 ] Wilbur:
You can!
As Orville said, you need a repair for your heart...
[ 32 ] Orville:
We are also
practicing how to ride something we built!
And you know what?
It's not going well at all!
(Laughs)
But we will definitely master it!
[ 33 ] Jonathan:
Even you guys have things that don't go well?
[ 34 ] Orville:
Ah, of course there is!
Things don't go well right from the start, you know!
For example, were you able to write letters beautifully from the very beginning?
No, right?
It's something like that.
[ 35 ] Jonathan:
...Um... excuse me... that thing that you gentlemen are trying to build and ride... what is it?
[ 36 ] Orville:
I can't tell you right now.
I'll let you know when it's finished.
Oh, that's right.
In honor of a little challenger, you can pay for the repairs once you've made it big!
[ 37 ] Jonathan:
What does 'made it big' mean?
[ 38 ] Orville:
It means you pay me back after you've become someone important.
[ 39 ] Jonathan:
I could never become someone important...
[ 40 ] Wilbur:
Hey, Orville!
Don't put pressure on the kid!
Hmm (a half-hearted reply)
Listen.
If you decide you can't do something from the start,
you won't be able to do things you otherwise could have.
I had a time like that too.
If you properly check various things, decide on a direction,
and take it step by step, you can get closer to success in anything.
[ 41 ] Adult Jonathan's narration:I learned later that Wilbur was originally an ice hockey player who suffered a major injury and hit a wall.
He then fell into depression, became a recluse, and gave up on going to college, but he entered the world of mechanical design and rebuilt his life through hard work.
<That time>He was originally an ice hockey player.
But one day, he suffered a major injury and
was forced to face failure.
That event led him into depression,
made him a recluse, and caused him to give up on college.
However, it was precisely because of this history
that he entered the world of mechanical design and rebuilt his life through hardship,
as I, having grown up and learned to ride a bicycle, came to know.
◆3. Great Achievement
[ 42 ] Jonathan:
An event that occurred on December 17, 1903.
I was absolutely astonished.
As you know, Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright accomplished an incredible feat.
Just a
bicycle shop owner who dreamed of airplanes and the sky,
flew in the sky with an airplane for the first time in human history.
At that time, our family had moved from Dayton to Baltimore
because my father changed jobs,
and we had lost touch with those delightful Wright brothers.
As for me, although I had learned to ride a bicycle,
I still couldn't find confidence in myself.
However... I was excited to learn of the Wright brothers' achievement.
Even as a child, I felt my body heat up.
I was able to think from the bottom of my heart, 'I'll do my best too!'
Supported by those feelings at the time,
I went to university despite struggling with my studies and became a lawyer.
I kept watching the lives of the Wright brothers.
But just because a great achievement is successful doesn't mean life is all glory.
Even if you have genius-level technology or skills, that is different from the talent for getting along in the world.
I watched with sadness as the Wright brothers
engaged in a quagmire of disputes with their rivals over flight technology and its patents.
However, something even more outrageous happened to the Wright brothers.
The Smithsonian Institution announced that it had conducted flight experiments with the Aerodrome in 1914.
I didn't know this, but
before the Wright brothers, on October 7 and December 10, 1903, Professor Charles Langley, a renowned researcher at the Smithsonian Institution, conducted experiments with an airplane he named the Aerodrome.
However, both attempts failed.
One week later, the Wright brothers accomplished the first feat in human history.
Professor Langley and the Smithsonian Institution, having been beaten to the punch, must have been frustrated.
The Smithsonian Institution and Professor Langley had received support from the U.S. government
and conducted a high-profile experiment, but the result was disastrous.
The authority of the professor and the institution fell to the ground.
◆4. The Scheme
[ 43 ] Jonathan:
And then, 1914. By this time, Professor Langley had already passed away, and the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution had become Mr. Charles Walcott.
Scene Change Walcott Pattern A
[ 44 ] Walcott :
Thanks for coming... please, have a seat.
[ 45 ] Curtiss :
Well, if the president of the great Smithsonian Institution calls, anyone would come...
[ 46 ] Walcott :
Curtiss, I have something I want to discuss with you...
[ 47 ] Curtiss :
Discuss?
[ 48 ] Walcott :
I want to conduct a re-experiment of the Aerodrome.
[ 49 ] Curtiss :
The Aerodrome? Ah, that Aerodrome that lost to the Wright brothers. Now, of all times?
[ 50 ] Walcott :
That's right. The Aerodrome, which our institution's Dr. Langley labored over, is the world's first airplane!
The honor of the first manned flight in human history is not something that should be held by those mere bicycle shop owners!
We will conduct a re-flight experiment to show the world that the Aerodrome was a success.
Make the Aerodrome fly!
[ 51 ] Curtiss :
...Do you have the blueprints and documentation?
[ 52 ] (SE) :
(Sound of a file being placed on a desk)
[ 53 ] Walcott :
...These are the Aerodrome's blueprints and the records from that time.
[ 54 ] Curtiss :
(While flipping through the pages) Even at a glance,
this is quite difficult...
[ 55 ] Walcott :
Difficult? You are the leading expert in the aviation industry.
You can do it, can't you?
[ 56 ] Curtiss :
...If I modify quite a lot, more than a few dozen places... I suppose it's not impossible.
(A sigh mixed with a laugh that says 'you're really something') It will also cost a considerable amount...?
[ 57 ] Walcott :
I don't care! Our institution will cover the full cost.
Please, do it!
Besides... you'd like to take the Wright brothers down a peg or two, wouldn't you?
(Scene Change)
Scene Change Walcott Pattern B
[ 44 ] Walcott :
Thank you for coming... please, have a seat.
[ 45 ] Curtiss :
Well, if the president of the great Smithsonian Institution calls, anyone would come...
[ 46 ] Walcott :
Curtiss, I have something I would like to discuss with you...
[ 47 ] Curtiss :
A consultation?
[ 48 ] Walcott :
We are going to conduct a re-experiment of the Aerodrome.
[ 49 ] Curtiss :
The Aerodrome? Ah, that Aerodrome that lost to the Wright brothers? Now, of all times?
[ 50 ] Walcott :
Yes. The Aerodrome, which our institution's Professor Langleylabored overso much, is the world's first airplane...
The honor of humanity's first manned powered flight is not something that some mere bicycle shop owner should possess...
We will show the public that the Aerodrome was a success by conducting a re-flight experiment.
Please fly the Aerodrome.
[ 51 ] Curtiss :
...Do you have the blueprints and documentation?
[ 52 ] (SE) :
(Sound of a file being placed on a desk)
[ 53 ] Walcott :
...These are the blueprints and contemporary records of the Aerodrome.
[ 54 ] Curtiss :
(While flipping through the pages) Even at a glance,
this is quite difficult...[ 55 ] Walcott :Difficult? You are the leading expert in the aviation industry, aren't you?[ 55 ] Walcott :
You should be able to do it, right?
(With a smirk) Difficult, you say?
As expected of you,
the leading expert in the aviation industry.
I trusted that you wouldn't say it was impossible.
[ 56 ] Curtiss :
...If I modify dozens of places... or rather, a significant number of parts, I suppose it's not impossible.
(A sigh mixed with a laugh that says 'you're really something') It will also cost a considerable amount of money...?
[ 57 ] Walcott :
That is fine... Our institution will bear the full cost.
Please, do it...
Besides... (becoming even more intimidating from here) you, too... want to take the Wright brothers down a peg, don't you?
(Laughs)
(Scene change)
[ 58 ] Jonathan :
Mr. Walcott was a great researcher, but he never acknowledged the Wright brothers' achievement.
He joined forces with Glenn Curtiss, an aviation engineer who was a rival of the Wright brothers, and set out to crush their legacy.
Since Mr. Curtiss had a history of losing a patent lawsuit regarding flight technology to the Wright brothers and having his company go bankrupt once,
his desire to defeat the Wright brothers must have been strong.
Well... in short,
they wanted to make it look like Professor Langley's Aerodrome
had actually flown before the Wright brothers' airplane.
That's why, in 1914, Mr. Curtiss modified over 30 places... modified?
Hahaha, rather than a modification, this thing is a completely different machine!
He conducted a re-flight experiment with that different machine, and
declared, 'Flight successful!'
He even went to the trouble of rebuilding the aircraft used in the flight experiment into the same shape as the Aerodrome that Mr. Langley had made,
and it is still currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution
as the first airplane in human history.
When a scam goes this far, it's a masterpiece (laughs).
By piling up such deceptions,
you repeatedly, over and over, advertised that 'Before the Wright brothers, the Smithsonian Institution and Professor Langley succeeded in creating the first airplane in human history!'
Ignoring Orville Wright's protests every single time.
Thanks to that, the public came to believe that
Professor Langley of the Smithsonian Institution had built the world's first airplane—whether that's ironic, a tragedy, or a comedy...
The experts knew the truth.
But people in the industry were afraid of being targeted by the Smithsonian Institution and Glenn Curtiss, so they couldn't say anything.
It seems that the Smithsonian Institution and Mr. Curtiss, who were involved in this re-experiment, had immense influence in this field.
Unlike the Wright brothers, who were poor at navigating social circles, Mr. Curtiss had started developing military aircraft with the government around that time, after all.
◆ 5. The Airplane in London
[58-5] Jonathan :
I had vaguely suspected that was the case,
but there was no concrete evidence.
I didn't know how to prove it.
Well, I lived my life feeling unsettled.
One year, while living like that... I went on a trip to England with my son, and by chance, I saw something unbelievable in London.
I was truly shocked!
At the Science Museum in London, the Wright brothers' Wright Flyer
was on display as the first airplane in human history.
I immediately met with the museum director to hear the story. I found out that the previous museum director, Sir William Dawson, had arranged this, and I met with Sir Dawson, who was elderly but still alive, to ask about the circumstances.
◆ 6. Background
[58-6] Jonathan :
It seems there was an engineer named George Wheeler who worked under Mr. Curtiss.
Wheeler had a disagreement with Mr. Curtiss and was fired.
He was also a person who regretted being involved in the fraud of the Aerodrome re-flight experiment.
But, in the face of Mr. Curtiss, who had immense influence in this field, he couldn't say anything.
So, it seems he lived a life soaked in alcohol.
It was around that time that he got to know a man named Thomas Thornton, who had come from the British Museum of Natural History on a technical inspection.
Or rather, got to know... it seems Thornton had heard strange rumors and was going around visiting people involved, but everyone was reluctant to touch on the subject.
Thinking it was even more suspicious, he continued his investigation and met Wheeler.
Wheeler finally told Thornton the truth. Thornton was apparently shocked.
Thornton told that story back in England.
Sir Dawson of the Science Museum in London, who heard that story,
"Where has the so-called American frontier spirit gone! That is an insult to a great pioneer!"
He was very angry, confirmed the facts with George Wheeler,
and approached Orville Wright.
"Unlike the people in the American industry who have lost their pride and become corrupt, I highly value your great achievement.
I would very much like to have your Wright Flyer exhibited at the Science Museum in London," he said.
And so, the airplane that should have achieved its great feat in America ended up being exhibited in London.
As fate would have it, when I was traveling in England with my son, I was the first American to
discover it...
Perhaps it was destiny.
I asked Sir Dawson for the details of the circumstances,
and although Wheeler had already passed away,
he had left behind copies of the blueprints for the 35 unauthorized modifications to the Aerodrome and his notes on them,
and I received those from Wheeler's bereaved family.
I had experts who were not influenced by the Smithsonian look at those blueprints and notes,
and I have confirmed that they were not mistaken or fabricated.
With that, I sent an article titled "The London Airplane, The Smithsonian Airplane" to a newspaper company.
And with that, public opinion exploded.
"What on earth is going on? Which side is lying?" they asked.
Even though I am just a small-time lawyer, I have secured the grounds and physical evidence to ensure you cannot sue me for defamation, you know?
◆7. Smeaton Coefficient
[58-7] Jonathan:
Ah... the Smeaton coefficient, right? ...Wasn't that what expressed the relationship between the pressure and velocity of an object moving through the air?
I'm an outsider, so I might not be accurate.
Please don't hesitate to point it out if I'm wrong.
I did study it a bit to handle this matter, though.
Yes, Mr. Simmons...
As you say, Professor Langley pointed out to the Wright brothers that they were underestimating the Smeaton coefficient after looking at their blueprints, didn't he?
Yes... yes... I am, of course, aware that the Smithsonian Institution's materials were used a lot in the Wright brothers' airplane development.
I do not deny that the cooperation of Professor Langley and the Smithsonian Institution led to the Wright brothers' success.
Huh? ...You're suggesting that we should pretend Professor Langley and the Wright brothers developed the airplane together in cooperation, and exhibit the Aerodrome and the Wright Flyer together at the Smithsonian Museum?
◆8. Inhabitants of the Sky
[58-8]: Jonathan
The answer is "No!" Please stop making a mockery of this!
Ha! ...You ask what would happen to the honor of Professor Langley and the Smithsonian?
Then what about the honor of the Wright brothers?
Good grief!
Anyone feels frustrated and ashamed when they lose.
I have experienced that many times myself.
It must have been quite a humiliation for those great professors to be outsmarted by a mere bicycle shop owner.
On top of that, when vested interests are involved, it becomes even harder to back down.
I understand...
Yes... that is true.
As you say, Mr. Simmons,
technological progress in the aviation industry is fast.
The technology of the Wright brothers, who opened up the frontier of the airplane,
has also become a thing of the distant past.
Even so,
that is no reason to disparage the great achievement they accomplished with fraud and deception.
I do not deny that the Smithsonian Institution conducts the world's largest-scale research and museum activities and continues to fulfill its mission of the increase and diffusion of knowledge for humanity.
Professor Langley as an astronomer,
Mr. Walcott as a paleontologist,
left behind great footprints.
Mr. Curtiss also devoted his life to the development of airplanes and their technology.
Everyone worked hard and fulfilled their respective roles.
I understand that as well.
And everyone...
Professor Langley too,
Mr. Walcott too,
Mr. Curtiss too,
Wilbur Wright too...
They all became inhabitants of the sky.
Orville Wright, who has retired from the aviation industry, is now an old man of 70.
He is now an old man of 70.
◆9. Message
[58-9] Jonathan:
Even so.
I think about it this way, too.
If... Professor Langley were alive, would he have wanted to receive false honors by doing something so dishonest...
The Wright brothers respected Professor Langley, so they sought his teachings.
Professor Langley gave unstinting cooperation to a bicycle shop owner to whom he owed nothing, because the Wright brothers were people worthy of respect.
And they each did their best, and results were achieved.
But what Mr. Walcott and Mr. Curtiss did is completely different.
It is clearly unjust.
Falsifying facts is something you must never do as a researcher, an engineer, or even as a human being!
Especially if you are the Smithsonian, which claims to contribute to humanity!
N-no... I understand that!
The world is unfair. There are many unreasonable things.
I am a lawyer, too.
I have seen many fruitless and unreasonable disputes, and their outcomes.
But I want to be on the side that is at least a little better.
I want to live a life that doesn't leave me with a guilty conscience.
That is how I have lived my life until now.
And you know...
This is likely my last job.
I was recently diagnosed with an illness...
So, although my doctor has told me to stop, I am working on this job in a great hurry so that I can finish it in the time I have left.
Interviewing people related to the London Science Museum,
and gathering and verifying materials from those involved at the time, including the surviving family of Wheeler.
I, too, do not know when I will be called by God.
But I do not want to die with a guilty conscience...
After all, I owe the Wright brothers a debt in life that I can never repay.
...Ah... it is useless to think that you can stall until I die, you know?
Public opinion will not stay silent, and above all, I have colleagues who will take over for me.
When I asked my colleagues about this,
"Picking a fight with the world-renowned Smithsonian, that's just like Johnny! If you die and the Smithsonian keeps stalling, we'll make them regret it as much as we possibly can!"
they laughed and accepted.
Lastly... this is a message from my client, Orville Wright, to Secretary Abbot.
"There is only one thing I desire, simply put. To correct history correctly. That is all..."
◆10. Statement
[59] Narration:
In 1942, the Smithsonian Institution made the following unusual announcement.
[60] Abbot:
The 1914 flight experiments of the Aerodrome and the subsequent announcement of their results contained numerous errors and are invalid.
Our Smithsonian Institution
recognizes and honors the fact that on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
Mr. Wilbur Wright and Mr. Orville Wright succeeded in the first manned, powered flight in human history.
And we sincerely apologize to Mr. Wilbur Wright and Mr. Orville Wright for the many discourtesies of the Smithsonian Institution, which has continued to deny that fact.
Charles G. Abbot, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
◆11. Epilogue
[61] Narration:
In 1943,
Jonathan Rugg died on December 8th at the age of 50,
and in 1948,
on January 30th, Orville Wright died at the age of 78.
Neither of them saw the Wright Flyer again in America.
However, after that, the Wright Flyer was returned from the UK and, exactly 45 years after the Wright brothers' successful manned flight,
on December 17, 1948, it was exhibited at the Washington Museum.
Currently, the Wright Flyer is on display at the National Air and Space Museum, which is managed by the Smithsonian Institution.
(*) Lilienthal... He challenged airplane development before the Wright brothers but died in a fall accident in 1891.
*This work is based on historical facts, but it is a work of fiction.
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