Does an old ticket bear the autograph of baseball legend Lou Gehrig? Who painted the strange emblem on a 1914 Harley Davidson motorcycle? Could a scrap of fabric be from the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic?
For public television's "History Detectives," the cases are old, but never cold, and one recent mystery had the show's investigators hot on the trail -- in Pensacola.
"History Detectives," a popular PBS series co-produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting and Lion Television, features a crack team of experts that travels the United States investigating mostly viewer-submitted mysteries of historical importance, from everyday objects to local folklore.
"Detective" Elyse Luray, an independent appraiser and auctioneer, was at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola NAS recently to film a segment for the show's new season, starting in June.
"A woman in California sent us a square of fabric that she believes is from the NC-4, the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic. She wanted us to find out if the cloth was from the plane and also to explain why so little is known about the NC-4," said Luray.
Why come to Pensacola?
The original NC-4 that crossed the Atlantic in May 1919, almost 10 years before Charles Lindbergh's famous transatlantic solo flight, is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola NAS. The "flying boat" is one of three NC (Navy/Curtiss) series aircraft that took off from Long Island, N.Y., to attempt the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by air. Two of the aircraft were forced to land in rough seas. The NC-4 completed the 2,150-mile journey in 26 hours of flight time.
"The plane is actually owned by the Smithsonian, but it's been here on loan since the 1970s," said Hill Goodspeed, historian and artifact collections manager at the Naval Aviation museum, who found himself in the role of honorary sleuth for "History Detectives."
The NC-4, although not widely known, is important from a historic, military standpoint, said Goodspeed, who has researched the aircraft.
"When you know its history, to stand before the actual plane and not a replica is amazing. People are not only impressed by its size, but by its role in aviation," he said.
John Bayer, a 46-year-old lieutenant in the Navy, hopes to recreate both the NC-4 and its historic flight someday.
"When I retire, I want to build and fly a replica across the Atlantic. It would be the largest replica ever built," he said.
Bayer, stationed in Denver, Colo., is the creator of First Across Organization, a Web site (geocities.com/firstacross) devoted to promoting the historic importance of the hulking aircraft. He was invited by "History Detectives" producers to appear in the Pensacola NAS segment as an NC-4 expert.
Shows such as "History Detectives," of which Goodspeed and Bayer are both fans, can serve as educational tools, said Luray, one of the TV show's four hosts.
"We educate in a fun way that appeals to all ages. I get tremendous amounts of e-mail from college students who say, 'I want to do what you do. How do I get started'," she said. "We show people how to do their own research. Almost all of the resources we use on the show are available to the public."
Mum's the word when it comes to the NC-4 episode's outcome, warned Jill Hubbs, director of Educational Services & Community Outreach for WSRE-TV.
"I tried to find out if the cloth was the real thing during the taping, but the 'History Detectives' team said we'd have to watch the episode to find out," said Hubbs, who describes the series as "the PBS version of reality TV."
"History Detectives" kicks off its fifth season on June 25, airing locally at 8 p.m. on Mondays on WSRE-TV, Channel 23, PBS. The Pensacola episode does not have a scheduled air date at this time.
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Topic: History's Mysteries (Read 421 times)
