Airplanes's Impact On American Culture

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American Culture Takes Flight Wilbur Wright once said, “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who... looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space... on the infinite highway of the air.” He changed American culture forever when he made the first flight alongside his brother Orville. This invention would have an even greater impact on our culture than cars. Although cars are used every day in America, planes have had the largest impact on American culture. Without planes, our lives would be drastically different, but not in a good way. Airplanes had a major impact on military, commerce, and travel. Planes have developed immensely through the years. The Wright brothers developed the first plane in 1903. …show more content…

The invention of planes would later allow easier trade and delivery around the country. In an article by Annamarie Edelen, she states that in 1917 the United States started transporting mail by plane. (Edelen) This made transportation much easier from coast to coast. In addition to this, when mail started being delivered by plane, businesses were then able to receive and ship their products faster. Because things were now being shipped by air, shipment times were greatly reduced. In the same article, Edelen also states that in 1917 planes transporting mail saved 22 hours in delivery from one coast to the other. (Edelen) This is a major improvement from automobiles and trains. Planes also had a major impact on international trade. In an article called “Why Planes Are Taking Over Global Trade”, Tim Fernholz said “about one-third of US imports by value entered the country on a plane.” (Fernholz) This number is still rising. He also stated that from 1965 to 2004 air cargo grew about 2.6 times faster than ocean cargo. (Fernholz) International transportation using planes is growing faster than any other method. This is because of the time it takes for the product to be shipped. The invention of the plane has decreased the time it takes for people to buy and trade items. This aspect has impacted American culture more than …show more content…

Many people will not fly because driving is cheaper. Although this is sometimes true, in an article called “Social History :Air Travel: Its Impact on the Way We Live and the Way See Ourselves” it says that in the 1970s and 1980s flights started to drop in price making it affordable for the average person. (“Social History”) After this, planes were not just for the wealthy upper class, but they were affordable for the middle class as well. Before the price of plane tickets dropped in the 1970s, not as many people flew in planes. Although it is true that the number increased tremendously after the price drop, according to “Aviation 1903-1934”, in the 1930s forty-three different airlines were flying around 350,000 passengers annually. (Edelen) Some people might say that cars have had the larger impact on American culture because people started to commute to work every day. Although this is true, planes have also had an impact on jobs. People were now able to travel on a business trip and return in a fraction of the amount of time it would take to drive. (“Social History”) This had an impact in two ways. People were now able to expand businesses even more and they were able to spend more time at home. Planes have had the largest impact on American culture because of their use in military, commerce, and travel. Without this invention, our everyday lives would be different. Planes have protected the United States from foreign countries.

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