1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello Hello again. I'm Eves and you're listening 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,319 Speaker 1: to This Day in History class, where we examine the 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: past from the present. Today it is October nineteen. The 5 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: day was October nineteen eleven. Italian Captain Carlo Maria Piazza 6 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: went on the first aerial reconnaissance mission in history during 7 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: the Italo Turkish War, marking the first time an airplane 8 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: was used in war. Aircraft were put to military use 9 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: as early as the late eighteenth century. Armies used reconnaissance 10 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: balloons to gather information about enemy maneuvers. The French Aerostatic Corps, 11 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: founded in seventeen ninety four and disbanded five years later, 12 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: used balloons for reconnaissance. Reconnaissance balloons were also used during 13 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: the American Civil War and in other conflicts around the world. 14 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: After photography was invented, aerial photography was put to military use. 15 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: Reconnaissance with aircraft continued into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries 16 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: with navigable airships and airplanes. The Wright brothers, known for 17 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: flying the first successful airplane, recognized that the plane would 18 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,120 Speaker 1: be useful in war. They got the first contract for 19 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: a military airplane from the U. S. Government, and the 20 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: army purchased the nineteen o nine Right Military Flyer for 21 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: thirty thousand dollars, which is eight hundred and forty six 22 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: thousand dollars in twenty nineteen. Airships were the military aircraft 23 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,479 Speaker 1: of note since they could carry weapons, while airplanes were 24 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: used for reconnaissance rather than combat at the time, and 25 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: even though the U. S. Army was the first operator 26 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: of a fixed wing reconnaissance aircraft, the Italians were the 27 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: first to use an airplane in combat. Bilba Right went 28 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: on tour in Europe and made public fly of the 29 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: Right airplane. He did demonstrations in Italy and trained officers 30 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: to fly there. A military flying school was set up 31 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: in Centocele, outside Rome, and nineteen ten from their Italian 32 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: aviation took off and many people qualified to become military pilots. 33 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: The Italian Turkish War was a conflict between the Kingdom 34 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from nineteen eleven to 35 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: nineteen twelve. When the war began, Italy mobilized its Italian 36 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: Aviation Battalion and aircraft under the command of Captain Carlo Piazza. 37 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: Italy sent his aircraft inventory to Tripoli and Libya, which 38 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: was then part of the Ottoman Empire. That inventory consisted 39 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: of two Blerio elevens, three new Poor monoplanes, two Farman 40 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: biplanes and two Ettric Talbat monoplanes. The battalion was tasked 41 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: with flying over enemy territory. Together Intelligence Piazza conducted a 42 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: one hour reconnaissance flight over turkey Ish positions near Tripoli 43 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: and a Blerio eleven monoplane with a twenty five horse 44 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: power three cylinder engine. On November one. The first aerial 45 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: bombing raid took place when Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavati dropped 46 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: grenades on Turkish troops in Libya from his etric Talba. 47 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: The first reconnaissance photographs of enemy positions were taken in 48 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: nineteen twelve. At this time, other European countries were also 49 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: developing military aviation and training pilots. Reconnaissance, bomber and carrier 50 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: based aircraft were being improved. The French and British militaries 51 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: were experimenting with aerial bombing, and countries were beginning to 52 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: organize small air forces. World War One saw the use 53 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: of heavier than aircraft for reconnaissance and artillery spotting and 54 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: improved design and increased power and specialized aircraft proved useful 55 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: in war. I'm Eaves steffco and hopefully you know a 56 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: little more about history today than you did us today. 57 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: You can keep up with us on social media on Twitter, Facebook, 58 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d I h C Podcast and 59 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: if you would like to write me a letter, you 60 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: can scan it, turn it into a PDF, and send 61 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: it to us via email at this Day at I 62 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. Thanks for listening. I hope to 63 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: see you here again tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 64 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 65 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.