>> and supreme court curator catherine fitz will talk about culinary customs dating to the 19th and 20th sentries. for our complete holiday schedule, go to c-span.org. hard fought 2016 primary season is over with conventions to follow this summer. >> colorado. >> florida. >> texas. >> ohio. >> watch c-span as the delegates consider the nomination of the first woman ever to head a major political party and the first nonpolitician in several decades. watch live on c-span. listen on the c-span radio app or get video on demand at c-span.org. you have a front row seat to every minute of both conventions on c-span, beginning on monday, july 18th.

each week, reel america brings you archival films that provide context to today's public affairs issues. up next, an episode of the big picture, a u.s. army documentary series. this 1956 film focuses on the first 50 years of aviation beginning in 1907, when the u.s. army purchased the first military plane. this is about 30 minutes. ♪ this is the big picture, an official television report of the united states army. produced for the armed forces and the american people. now, to show you part of the big picture, here is master sergeant stewart quaid. in the fall of 1907, the united states army purchased from two bicycle mechanics named

wright the first military plane. guaranteed to remain aloft for one hour, it carried two persons. it was light enough to be transported in an army wagon. 50 years have passed, the flight has become a commonplace reality. there seems to be no limit to aviation progress this is the army's tribute to the pilots, the mechanics, the engineers and countless others who have given wings to man's dreams this is the age of flight. the airy. today, air power is a dominant factor in the american defense program. far out from all four corners of the united states, navy and air force radar planes are spreading an aerial umbrella across the sky.

guarding against any sudden attack, they are a vital link in a rahr ddar team that includes s tour installations at sea and navy picket ships. america has a shield of radar which will search out unknown aircraft long before they reach u.s. borders. but it is upon our airmen and modern aircraft that we must rely in case of enemy attack. here is our offense and our defense, a magnificent full work of aircraft, whose speed, strength and dedication provides us with air power. but it wasn't always like this.

for centuries, man gazed up at the flight of the bird in helpless envy, how easy it seemed. if all it took was weeks. wings alone were not enough as many bird men proved. despite ingenuity and innovation, they flapped and flapped in vain. though the spirit was willing, it remained for orville wright and his brother wilbur to point the way. in kitty hawk, north carolina, orville won the flip of a coin and immortality. with two bounces he was in the air where he hovered for 12 seconds at 31 miles an hour, covering 120 feet.

but there were other early flight machines, some that taxied, and some that hopped. some that didn't do much of anything, and some that, hey, watch out there! in 1907, the army recognized the potential of aviation and in 1909 purchased the first military plane, the u.s. army air service was founded under the supervision of the chief signal officer. they flew test after test, not all of the flights were successful. the first man to die in a plane crash was an army lieutenant. now, planes were getting bigger,

by 1910, an unknown enthusiast named glen curtis was building and flying. by 1940, the fledgling army air service had expanded to several dozen planes. at first, planes were used only for aerial reconnaissance. but in time, bombs and then machine guns were added. pilots who had once waved at each other as they passed now shot to kill. these were the days of the drill and flying circus. americans learned new words, the span, the jenny. with the end of the war, numerous new experimental planes appeared. and a new kind of scientist emerged. the aeronautical engineer. there was even a new kind of aircraft, it was called a

helicopter. by the middle 20s, there was no doubt the helicopter would fly. the only question was in which direction. some early four bladed copters actually hovered. while others only bounced. before long, however, there was evidence enough that the helicopter was here to stay. now man was finding first one method and another of flying where for thousands of years he had been able to do little more than watch the birds and dream. these were the days of the stunt pilots. the barnstormers when the thrill

of seeing a parachute opened was new, records were being broken, brown became the first to conquer the atlantic. then a few years later, a small ryan monoplane, the spirit of st. louis, soloed the atlantic and captured the imagination of the world. meanwhile, the army was flying the mail. in all weather, around the clock. an army test pilot was stunting and looping and new and improved biplanes. the auto gyro was having its day and opening the way for today's american helicopter. commercial aviation was developing, gasoline octane

ratings were going up. passengers were now carried on regularly scheduled flights. this luxurious airliner of the early 30s carried eight. some people even thought commercial aviation had a future. by the late 30s, however, the biplane had almost completely disappeared. the army air service given way to the united states army air core and although hard pressed for funds, had developed the nucleus of a modern air fleet. but it was only after pearl harbor's that america's factories started rolling in earnest. now we needed planes, not by the thousands, but by the tens of thousands. first and foremost was the b-17. the world famous flying fortress. she packed a wallop.

from all over america came the pilot, and soon the planes were ready. by 1942, vapor trails were over france. the air war was under way. these were the men who flew with -- the pilots, the navigators, the gunners. 48,000 pounds of steel, ten men, swiftly they streaked toward their targets, mission, to destroy the enemy's ability to make war. that was their job. and they did it. a plane is a beautiful thing. ten men's lives are beautiful. a bomber going down is not.

but the odds were good for american pilots. planes they flew were fast, rugged, superb in combat. american pilots gave a grand account of themselves in europe. they drove the enemy from the air. and escapes like this were huge. low altitude scrapings. shattered enemy ground installations. remember the memphis male, celebrated lady from tennessee survived many a perilous assignment, returning home scarred, but happy and proud to be back.

in the pacific, many navy ships were carrying planes. courageous navy pilots catapulted launching devices and aboard aircraft carriers they overcame an additional hazard, a rolling landing field. air power was a major factor in the pacific campaign. these tough fighters outfought the best the japanese had to offer. they spearheaded across the pacific as the war moved closer to the japanese homeland.

now, it was only a matter of time, b-29 bombers were visiting the empire of the rising sun with ruthless regularity. often in 100 plane rays. but it took only one b-29, the enola gay, to close that chapter in human history. in the year that followed world war ii, even greater progress was made in aircraft design and development. army aviation separated in 1942 from the army air force corps was experimenting with helicopters. the rotary wing aircraft with

the hummingbird qualities offered amazing possibilities. it provided the extra speed and mobility needed by an army no longer content to move only along the ground. aerial cargo carriers capable of supplying front line infantry troops with heavy equipment quickly and when needed. coming in a variety of sizes and shapes, these are age 21 flying bananas, the helicopter added a new dimension to aviation progress. the army's foresight and in industry had been building air power for 40 years. in 1947, the army air force received its greatest tribute. it became the united states air force. now from experimental labs and drawing boards there came yet another aviation miracle. the jet. after many years of study and

research, jet powered aircraft was a reality. more powerful than any flame previously conceived, the jet opened up a new vista in aviation progress. by october 1947, a milestone had been passed. a test ship, it became the first aircraft to crash the sound barrier. it reached a speed of 780 miles an hour, already obsolete. this ship is on exhibit at the smithsonian institute. from such research came a host of modern air force jets. this is the f-84 thunder jet which went into mass production in 1948. one of the earliest jet fighters, also one of the best. vast, maneuverable, heavily

armed and deadly, these f-84s packed a real punch. jet bombers came right along with the fighters. first accepted was the b-45 tornado, powered by four engines with a top speed of over 500 miles an hour. next came the sensational b-47 strato jet, over 600 miles an hour with a range of 3,000 miles. america was building an arsenal of jet bombers. one of the most unusual test planes was the b-49 flying wing. completely different aeronautical design, it did away with the conventional fuselage and tail in this radical

experiment. it maneuvered in air like some giant bat. side by side with air force developments, when experimentation by civilian bird men eager to try out the new jet pow power. but it remained for korea to demonstrate the real value of america's jet aircraft. they proved themselves in combat. squadrons of recon bombers were able to fly unmolested. cruising at 600 miles an hour, they outflew, outfired and outfought the best soviet fighters that the north koreans could put in the air.

carrying up to 32 five inch rockets, they wreaked havoc with enemy ground force, operating in close coordination with the infantry, time and time again they destroyed enemy buildups. in this operation, the air force was not alone. navy and marine pilots flew many of the sorties flown in korea by american forces.

close support for infantry troops was a specialty of marine airmen. working together, u.s. airmen of all of the services gain control of the skies. for low level earl reconnaissance, however, army aviation was used. in world war ii, light planes like this were first assigned to infantry units. the effectiveness resulted in the formation of army aviation. in korea, they were invaluable. these planes were best equipped to prove slowly through the winding mountain terrain. light, rugged and versatile, they could go almost anywhere. and where nothing else could go,

helicopters went. the second half of the army aviation team, they served as troop carriers. and evacuated the wounded directly to rear line hospital. the korean war found the american army more and more airborne, by transport, by helicopter, by c-119 cargo planes, american soldiers took to the skies. world war i saw the introduction of military aviation, korea saw it carried to a new peak of combat performance. korea, over experimentation went on, the age 37 helicopter, and the l-17 navy were added to aviation. the air for was setting new

records, the bell x 2 rocketed to many times the speed of sound. this is not a jet aircraft landing. it is rocket power, a flying laboratory built for supersonic flight. with aircraft like this, research was moving away from earth into the borders of space. the air force research and development program requires a lot from its planes. and a lot from its men. the test pilots who take the chances. as planes were getting faster, so they were getting bigger. this is one of two decks aboard the xc 99, the world's largest cargo plane. this extraordinary aircraft has a tail larger than the entire original plane flown by the wright brothers at kitty hawk and the fuselage is longer than

the first flight. looking at it, who would believe it would truly fly. but it does, and with the range of 8,000 miles, it can carry 50 tons of cargo or 400 fully kwpd infantry men. despite its size, however, it requires only a five-man crew. the six engines push it forward at over 300 miles an hour. in recent years, the air force has brought out even newer jet aircraft, the sweat wing super saber unveiled in 1953 was the first of the super sonic fighters. fighters capable of operating regularly above the speed of sound. newest of these supersonic jets

is the f-104 star fighter. known as the missile with the man in it, it made its debut in 1954. this fantastic fighter flies more than a thousand miles per hour. a true mammoth of the sky, the fastest jet bomber in the world is the b-52 straddle fortress. pride of the air force, this giant bomb we are ter with 6,00 range can reach any target in the world. today, american air power with its arsenal of atomic weapons is one of the chief deterrents to war. on this 50th anniversary of military aviation, the b-52 is a shining symbol of american

aviation property. and still the experimentation goes on. this is the army's converter plane, now being tested. its propeller are designed to lift it as a helicopter and then fly it as a conventional plane. this is one of several converter planes presently undergoing study. at the same time, a variety of small one man helicopters are being developed. one day this device may be standard equipment for all infantry men. it has passed all tests to date with flying colors. here is another version of the same idea, the army, the navy, the air force, all three services are experimenting in this area. one of the most unusual recent developments is the aerocycle, similar in concept, the flying

platform is another recent innovation. the operator is standing directly above two revolving ducted fans. he's literally standing on a column of air, and astonishing new principle of flight. one unique flying machine is the aerodime, it sucks in air, speeds it up and blasts it out the bottom. another way of riding on a column of air. exactly where the future will take us, no one knows. but army scientists predict an aerial jeep using the principle of ducted fans and an aerial assault vehicle within the next few years these drawings will become reality. but in the years since world war ii, perhaps the single most important research program has been in the field of rockets and missiles. here may very well lie the

future of air defense. for once perfected, rockets and missiles may offer a far better defense against enemy aircraft than exists today. and long range intercontinental ballistic missiles may replace today's long range aircraft. at the present time, the greatest armament race in history is being conducted for space superiority. while the time has not yet arrived to phase out all fighting aircraft, and replace them with rockets and missiles, already the three services have adopted numerous small weapons of this sort. the army has an integrated team of rockets and guided missiles. there is the dot.

nike hercules. honest john. corporal. and the giant red stone. the potential of the missiles seems unlimited. already we have submarines and cruisers equipped for missile launching. accurate and powerful, these missiles can travel through space at incredible speeds, up to thousands of miles an hour. one day, missiles in many sizes

and shapes may replace conventional air defenses. but today, americans everywhere look to planes which fly. and the arsenal of army missiles to guard america against attack from the sky.

in a short half century, america has built its air power second to none. in the naval air arm, the big picture paid tribute to the courage, tenacity and skill of the men and women who served the nation through 50 years of military aviation. and on this anniversary, the army salutes its sister service, the united states air force. now this is your host, sergeant stewart queen. >> the big picture is an official television report for the armed forces and the american people. produced by the army pictorial

cent center. presented by the united states army in cooperation with this station. on july 1st, 1976, the national air and space museum opened its doors to the public with president gerald ford on hand for the dedication. today, he marks the 40th anniversary of the museum and american history tv's live coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. we'll tour the museum and see one of a kind aviation and space artifacts including the spirit of st. louis and apollo lunar module and live events at the front of the building. learn more about the museum as we talk with the direct, the curator, and valerie neal, chair of the museum's space history department. you can join the conversation as we'll take your phone calls, e-mails and tweets. the 40th anniversary, live this evening beginning at 6:00 eastern