On this night in science
Faster than sound
October 14, 1947
On this day in 1947, test pilot Chuck Yeager flew a small orange rocket plane called the Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound. It was the first airplane ever to do it, high over the California desert.
Why it mattered
Many people weren't sure an airplane could fly that fast and stay steady. The X-1 showed it could, and its flights helped engineers design the faster planes that came after.
Wonder together
If you flew faster than sound, could you hear someone calling to you from behind?