On August 21: a car brand is born, a motorcycle nears 200 km/h, and a commercial airplane surpasses Mach 1

From the birth of Oldsmobile to the supersonic DC-8, August 21 has left some surprising marks in the history of automobiles, motorcycles, and aviation.

On August 21, 1897, Ransom Eli Olds founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Michigan, which would become Oldsmobile. The brand participated in the early days of mass automobile production with its famous Curved Dash, long before joining General Motors in 1908. Oldsmobile would eventually disappear in 2004, after more than a century of existence.

Switching gears on August 21, 1926. On the track at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire, Curley Fredericks completes the 2.01 km circuit at an average of 120.3 mph, nearly 194 km/h, riding an Indian. The detail that gives some chills? Rockingham was a board track at the time: the track is made up of wooden boards. His lap record will remain that of this astonishing discipline.

Always Faster

Thirty years later to the day, on August 21, 1956, pilot Robert Windsor pushes a Vought F8U-1 Crusader to 1,015.428 mph, about 1,634 km/h. He becomes the first American operational aircraft equipped to exceed 1,000 mph. And he even carries his normal armament during the record.

But the most delightful event comes on August 21, 1961. A peaceful Douglas DC-8, a quad-jet intended for passenger transport, dives from about 15,800 meters and reaches Mach 1.01 for about fifteen seconds. It thus becomes the first commercial airliner to voluntarily break the sound barrier. The Concorde? It will not fly for the first time until 1969.

A legendary brand, nearly 200 km/h on a motorcycle on wood, a fighter jet at 1,600 km/h, a supersonic airliner, and a few other anniversaries: indeed, August 21 loves speed.

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• 19/08/2026 7:18

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