- Home
- Collections
- Search the Collection
- Scientific American Trophy
Scientific American Trophy
Object Details
- Physical Description
- A spread eagle is sitting on top of a globe with a Langley airplane model on forward side, and the North and South American continents on the rear surface. The globe is suspended by clouds on top of a pillar, with three winged horses on each side of base. The base is onyx.
- Plaque on base has engraved text reading: "July 4, 1908 5090 feet Aerial Experiment Association, Glenn H. Curtiss, pilot Hammondsport, N.Y.; July 17, 1909 25 miles (40.25 km) 52 min. 30 sec., Glenn H. Curtiss Mineola, N.Y.; May 29, 1910 Glenn H. Curtis Albany to Camelot, N.Y. 71 ½ miles, 1 hr. 24 min."
- On bottom: "Sterling Reed and Barton."
- Summary
- Glenn Hammond Curtiss built an experimental airplane, the "June Bug", that responded so well to testing that he decided to enter it into a competition for the Scientific American trophy. Curtiss won the first leg in the 1908 competition, which involved flying in a straight line for a distance of one kilometer. On July 4, Curtiss piloted the "June Bug" across Pleasant Valley for a distance of 5,090 feet. It was the first officially-recognized, pre-announced and publicly-observed flight in America. It won Curtiss the first leg of the trophy and established him as America's foremost aviation pioneer.
- Credit Line
- Bequest of the Estate of Glenn H. Curtiss
- Data Source
- National Air and Space Museum
- Date
- 1908
- Inventory Number
- A19730589000
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- AWARDS-Trophies
- Materials
- Silver with onyx base.
- Dimensions
- 3-D: 47 × 36 × 78.7cm (18 1/2 × 14 3/16 × 31 in.)
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- Location
- National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
- Exhibition
- Early Flight
- Record ID
- nasm_A19730589000
- Usage
- Not determined
Related Object Groups
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.