Overview of If Mosquito Hawks Can Fly
Roman Mars introduces and recommends a Family Lore episode that uncovers the disputed but deeply compelling story of Charles Frederick Page, an African American inventor from Louisiana whose family says he designed and built an airship decades before flight was widely recognized. The episode blends family storytelling, local history, patent records, and modern historical detective work to explore how Black inventors have often been overlooked, dismissed, or erased.
Main Story: Charles Frederick Page and the Lost Airship
Who Charles Frederick Page was
- Born in 1864 in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, into slavery.
- Self-taught in reading, writing, and arithmetic, despite no formal education.
- Worked as a timberman, farmer, cobbler, and community leader.
- Remembered by family as a visionary who also cared deeply about people and community.
The mosquito hawk inspiration
- Family lore says Page watched a “mosquito hawk” (a crane fly) and asked:
- “If a mosquito hawk can fly, I can fly.”
- That moment allegedly inspired him to try building a flying machine.
The airship and the lost chance
- Page reportedly designed and built a full-size airship in time for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.
- His family says he shipped it by freight train, but it never arrived.
- The episode frames this disappearance as a major historical mystery:
- Was it lost?
- Destroyed?
- Stolen?
- Intentionally suppressed because Page was a Black inventor in Jim Crow America?
The patent
- Page’s airship patent was eventually granted in 1906.
- The episode notes that his patent was issued one month before the Wright brothers’ patent, though for a different kind of craft:
- Page’s was a lighter-than-air airship
- The Wrights’ was a heavier-than-air airplane
Historical Investigation and Evidence
What the historical researcher found
- Local historian Michael Wynn uncovered a forgotten newspaper article about Page.
- A 1906 Alexandria Town Talk story reported:
- “Pineville Colored Man Has Invented an Airship”
- Wynn then pieced together Page’s story from newspapers, family interviews, and surviving patent drawings.
Surviving patent materials
- The patent drawings show a surprisingly detailed craft:
- Wire frame
- Oiled canvas covering
- Gas bags/balloons
- Pumps, valves, pistons
- Propeller and rudder
- The transcript emphasizes how elegant and imaginative the design appears, even on paper.
Why the invention may have stalled
- The family and historians suggest Page may have been scammed when trying to commercialize the patent.
- Letters show interest from patent brokers and businessmen:
- One inquiry valued the patent at about $30,000 at the time.
- Another man, later identified as Adam Arthur, appears to have been operating a fraudulent patent promotion scheme.
- The likely conclusion: Page had limited resources, faced racial barriers, and may have been financially burned by bad actors.
Bigger Themes
Black invention and historical erasure
- The episode expands from Page’s story to the broader pattern of Black inventors being ignored or denied credit.
- It cites examples like Onesimus, the enslaved man in Boston associated with early smallpox inoculation.
- The message: innovation is not just about invention; it’s also about recognition, access, and power.
Family lore vs. official history
- The episode highlights how families preserve stories that institutions often overlook.
- Even when hard proof is incomplete, family memory can point historians toward truths that would otherwise be lost.
Reclaiming overlooked pioneers
- The story resonates with efforts to build the Black Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Charles Frederick Page is presented as a symbol of:
- Brilliant invention
- Deferred recognition
- Systemic exclusion from wealth and credit
Important Takeaways
- Charles Frederick Page may have invented and perhaps even built an airship before the Wright brothers’ era of recognition.
- His work was likely derailed by a combination of:
- Racism
- Poverty
- Lack of institutional support
- Possible fraud by patent promoters
- Even if the original airship vanished, the episode argues that Page’s innovative legacy should not.
- The story serves as a reminder that American aviation history is broader and more diverse than the standard Wright brothers narrative.
Closing Note
Roman Mars uses the episode as a recommendation and a framing device for Family Lore, but the heart of the piece is a powerful historical recovery: a Black Louisiana inventor whose dream of flight may have been ignored in his own time, yet is now being rebuilt, researched, and remembered.