About this episode

The episode explores the story of a Louisiana man born into slavery who designs an airship with hopes to take flight, despite interruptions to his plans.

A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight. Those plans are interrupted, but maybe not forever.

People in this episode

Host: Roman Mars

Topics covered

• airship design
• slavery
• flight
• Louisiana history
• innovation
• interrupted plans

Keywords

• airship
• slavery
• Louisiana
• flight
• innovation
• design

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Louisiana

More episodes of 99% Invisible

• The Original 100 Objects · July 21, 2026 · 45 min
• 100 Objects #9: Missing Children Milk Carton · July 17, 2026 · 34 min
• 100 Objects #8: Billy Possum · July 10, 2026 · 36 min
• The Score · July 7, 2026 · 26 min
• 100 Objects #7: The Otis Pamphlet · July 3, 2026 · 37 min
• Transatlantic Fiber-Optic Expialidocious · June 30, 2026 · 32 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 99% Invisible podcast page.