The Concorde first took to the air on this day in 1969. The aircraft could fly at over twice the speed of sound (Mach 2.04), and could cross the Atlantic in less than half the time as conventional airplanes.

Photo courtesy of Goodfon

Entering commercial service in 1976, It was originally thought that supersonic travel would be the norm for oceanic crossings, with planes like the 747 relegated to hauling freight (hence the distinctive cockpit “bump” on top of the fuselage). However, huge cost overruns limited…