Broken Icarus: The 1933 Chicago World's Fair, The Golden Age of Aviation and the rise of Fascism

by David Hanna

In Broken Icarus, author David Hanna tracks the inspiring trajectory of aviation leading up to and through the World’s Fair of 1933, as well as the field of flight’s more sinister ties to fascism domestic and abroad to present a unique history that is both riveting and revelatory.

The 1930s still conjure painful images: the great want of the Depression, and overseas, the exuberant crowds motivated by self-appointed national saviors dressing up old hatreds as new ideas. But there was another story that embodied mankind in that decade. In the same year that both Adolf Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt came to power, the city of Chicago staged what was, up to that time, the most forward-looking international exhibition in history. The 1933 World’s Fair looked to the future, unabashedly, as one full of glowing promise. No technology loomed larger at the Fair than aviation. And no persons at the Fair captured the public’s interest as much as the romantic figures associated with it: Italy’s internationally renowned chief of aeronautics, Italo Balbo; German Zeppelin designer and captain, Doctor Hugo Eckener; and the husband-and-wife aeronaut team of Swiss-born Jean Piccard and Chicago-born Jeannette Ridlon Piccard. This golden age of aviation and its high priests and priestesses portended to many the world over that a new age was dawning, an age when man would not only leave the ground behind, but also his uglier, less admirable heritage of war, poverty, corruption, and disease. It was only later in the decade that the dark correlation between the rise of some of aviation’s superstars and the rise of fascism was to be revealed. But for a moment in 1933, this all lay in a future that still seemed so promising. In Broken Icarus, author David Hanna tracks the inspiring trajectory of aviation leading up to and through the World’s Fair of 1933, as well as the field of flight’s more sinister ties to fascism domestic and abroad to present a unique history that is both riveting and revelatory.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published June 15, 2022

About the author

I am an author based in New York and Morris County, New Jersey. I grew up in the Pemaquid region of Maine.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of some history of my hometown, Chicago--the 1933 World's Fair celebrating "A Century of Progress" since the founding of the settlement on the shore of Lake Michigan (1833). I remember my father told me he went with his father when he was 6 to see the Fair ( he did not remember much at all about it). It's interesting that the city was able to put it together in the depth of the Depression--and it actually made money. As Hanna emphasizes, the Fair looked to the future as one showing great promise due to the technological developments of the time. And no technology was more promising than that of aviation.
I feel the central figure of the story was Air Minister Italo Balbo of Italy. Perhaps the high point of the Fair was the day ( July 15, 1933) when the squadron of twenty-four white seaplanes appeared over the city of Chicago. They then made a flawless landing on Lake Michigan, as enormous crowds lined the lakefront to watch the spectacle. As Hanna says, the future had come to Chicago. But also Balbo had come to represent his country, Italy, the Italy of Mussolini and Fascism. Balbo and his men were feted by the city and given a tremendous farewell parade down Michigan Avenue--and a street was named Balbo Avenue ( and I believe it still bears the name of the fascist aviator ). As Hanna points out, Balbo's arrival at the Fair ( after an epic flight across the Atlantic) affirmed the human spirit, which was what the Fair was all about. But it was also the sign that fascism was on the rise and that dark clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon....

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts out with background information on aeronauts: Italy’s Italo Balbo; German Zeppelin designer Hugo Eckener; and the husband-and-wife team of Jean and Jeannette Piccard. We don't actually get to the Chicago World's Fair until reading about 40% of the book. Balbo, apparently, was a central figure in Mussolini's Italy, and Eckener was marginalized by the Nazis because he wouldn't toe the line. Dismayed that the Nazi regime had his Graf Zeppelin emblazoned with swastikas, Eckener flew into Chicago "so that anyone looking up at the Graf that morning...would not see its port side sporting the giant swastikas." Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[William Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished my read of an ARC of "Broken Icarus: The 1933 Chicago World's Fair, The Golden Age of Aviation, and the Rise of Fascism," written by David Hanna and being published under the Prometheus imprint. This text, which is a true gem of its type, falls within the genre of intellectual history. The author skillfully uses a dialectical approach to his materials; that is to say he is interested in exploring the complex relationships between
events in aviation in the twenties and thirties and the political turbulence surrounding the rise of fascism. Here, developments in aviation become a complex metaphor for technological advancement. The author uses leading figures in Italian aviation and in German Zeppelin technology to contrast past developments rooted in the First World War with a promising future sometimes linked to the political turbulence surrounding aviation pioneers, specifically in Italy. The Chicago World's Fair of 1933 serves as a sort of pivotal moment where the world is torn between the many forces looking back at the old world order and the technology which had supported it and the changing world following the rise of Hitler in Germany and FDR in the United States as a consequence of the economic collapse known as the Great Depression. The author is successful in showing Modernism rooted in the events of the first decades of the twentieth century evolving and changing as it confronts a future far removed from the settled one that had preceded World War I. I was delighted and entertained as the author teased out his thesis by examining everything from modern art and art forms to racism and the struggle between lighter than air flight and modern aircraft for the hearts and minds of the population. Hanna's analysis is balanced and often startling as he explores the complex web of interactions, both causes and effects, which shaped the world as it prepared for the Second World War. This book is fascinating and very illuminating. I recommend it to anyone who seriously wants to understand twentieth century history. I would give it 6 stars if that were possible!

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I put this book on my "hard" TBR list a few years ago, I had wondered whether this was going to be too slight of an exercise to be worthy of my limited time. That said, my compliments to the author for doing a good job of simultaneously keeping one eye on how events were received at the time of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, and how those events have come down to us. As for myself, having previously read about American international exhibitions, German dirigibles, and Italo Balbo (the title can be taken as a reference to the Fascist aviator), the most illuminating sections dealt with the use of balloons in the period race to set altitude records, and the role of Jean & Jeannette Piccard in this international competition; this is probably helped by David Hanna getting cooperation from the Piccard Family.

[Gisselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable listen. Upon first glance I thought the material would be too thin for a book but the author does a great job linking people and their milieu to the main idea of the book. The “cast”, as it were, were compelling people in their own right and the author was able to tread a fine line between admiration for technical accomplishments some of these men were capable of with also the effect these accomplishments had on the international view of the political projects they were trying to promote (the Brazil descriptions were some of my favorite parts). He really shone when he wrote about Balbo and Eckener, in this regard, and I appreciate the tone he took between what various people on the ground thought and the modern view of their actions. And as a Star Trek fan, the ending was an unexpected delight. Well worth reading for 1) fans of flying machines, 2) students of reputation laundering through history, 3) people who like to travel in their mind palace during tedious work tasks, and/or 4) Star Trek fans maybe too deeply invested in lore.

[Marc C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about early aviation and the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. If you’re interested in that, it’s definitely worth reading. I had just finished “N-4 Down,” by Mark Piesing before reading this. His characterization of Italo Balbo is decidedly different and more negative than Hanna’s. In fact, Piesig portrays him as a villainous, backstabbing fascist. I wonder which characterization is the more accurate?

[Millie Picker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book about a time when progressive ideas, Fascism, Nazism, and the Depression were all converging in a new era of man reaching for the heavens.
Who was Florence Price (whose symphony was featured at the Worlds Fair in 1933), Jascha Herfetz, Eckner, Balbo, and others?
How was the writer of “A Christmas Story” influenced by the Fair as was Roddenberry ( who couldn’t get to the fair)?
This is a compelling read!

[Roger Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most enjoyable non fiction books I have read in a long time. The author discusses the golden age of aviation when great strides were being make by men and women of various nationalities such as Italo Barbo who led the maginificent fleet of Italian flying ships, Hugo Ekener who led the German program of building zeppelins including the Graf Spree and the Hindenburg which pioneered trans-Atlantic travel to Brazil and America and the Picards, Jean and Jeannette, who built and piloted balloon travel to the stratosphere to discover the mysteries of cosmic radiation.
All of this was happening in the 1920's and 30's at the time of the great Chicago World's Fair of 1933 which they all visited especially Baldo who was a great celebrity when he landed on Lake Michigan with his fleet on a beautiful day in the spring of 1933. The author also points out the tragedy of Fascism in Germany and Italy which tried to take advantage of their discoveries. He then observes that same pioneering spirit that led to the Apollo program in the 1960's and questions why the American space program seemed to come to an end for fifty years after the last mission in 1972.

[Dennis Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often had a hard time putting this book down. With an amazing writing style and a sense of excitement, David Hanna explores every aspect of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, the merriment and awe that it brought to those attending, its lasting effects on Chicago and U.S. culture, and its place within the history of aviation. Although two of the fair's stars, the Italian aviator Italo Balbo and zeppelin enthusiast German Hugo Eckener, were associated with the Mussolini fascist and Nazi regimes respectively (though in Eckener's case less enthusiastically), Hanna's assessment of both is objective. Rather sad is the author's conclusion that Hugo Eckener's legacy was his inability to let go of his dream of the helium-powered zeppelin as a desired form of passenger transportation thereby allowing him to cooperate with the Hitler regime, which transformed the zeppelin into a sinister war machine. More upbeat is the story of the Swiss twin brothers Auguste and Jean Piccard as well as the U.S. American wife of Jean, Jeannette Ridlon Piccard, and their contributions to high altitude ballooning.

I loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author!

[Stian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually don't read biographies, as I'm not that interested in (the minutiae) individuals, I'm more interested in themes/periods/occurrences in which individuals, of course, play a role.
This book is about a period and aviation's role in it, told through "mini" biographies of 5 (2+3 of one family) people; Italo Balbo, Hugo Eckener and the Piccard's (Auguste, Jean and the latter's wife Jeanette), and the world fair of 1933 held in Chicago is the background.

This is something of an easy, short read, which I initially enjoyed, but in the end it was downgraded, in my head anyway, to just an OK read.
I think the author gushes a tad too much about Balbo and it becomes clear that the author is quite fond of "progressive" thought and threads in history...my eyes started to glance over, and I skimmed parts.
I would have liked more technical details; what made the Italian sea planes that Balbo commanded stand out technically, how did Italy become heavy-weights in that particular realm? Not an exhaustive breakdown, but at last the nitty-gritty.
Instead we get detours into Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek...who's choice of name for the character of Jean-Luc Piccard might have been inspired by a certain Swiss-American family, I just don't have the patience for...cultural history ;)
There's also a rather, to me at least, bizarre breakdown of whether or not Hugo Eckener angled his zeppelin so as to hide the swastika on one stabilizing fin from the *majority* of Chicago when arriving at the fair...I agree that it could say a lot about his disdain for the Nazis, but the whole segment in the book was a bit overdone IMO.

2* might seem a bit harsh, but as on OK read, it fits the bill, and by all means not a bad read.
Yet again I realize that "cultural" history and biographies just isn't my cup of tea!

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using the 1933 Chicago World's Fair as a background Hanna does a find job of explaining the make-up of the Fair itself and comparing it the White Fair of 1892. Europe and America had overcome the destruction of the First World War, and things were moving ahead dramatically, but then the Wall Street crash devastated the world economy.

Just before the Crash, large strides were being made in aviation and the exploration of the upper atmosphere. Long distance air service between Europe, the US and South America. It was proven to be best to conquer the great distances by using seaplanes. In 1933 Italo Balbo led a group of 24 Air Force seaplanes from Italy to the Chicago Worlds fair, and onto Rio and Bueno Aires as the head of the Italian Air Force became a world-wide idol equal to the hype of movie stars.

Balbo's biggest competitor was Hugo Eckener who built the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg for the German government. He became the preeminent dirigible designer and builder after von Zeppelin past away. His airships were becoming the second way to cover large distances but without the danger of storms on the seas. The crash of the Hindenburg in 1937 put an end to the use of Zeppelins as passenger airships.

The third group of adventurers were the Piccard twin brothers (Auguste and Jean) and Jean's wife Jeannette. Using a balloon to take them into the stratosphere, they held the world record for heights reached until the first rockets put satellites into orbit.

[Joanna Hazelden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book club appreciated the introduction to aviation and politics in conjunction with the World's Fair, but wished there had been more information on the fair and felt that the pictures could have been better quality. Surprisingly, it wasn't mentioned that both of Daniel Burnham's sons worked on the committee. Also not included in the research was the Harry and William Birch film collection at University of South Carolina which an reels of film from the exhibits at the fair. The style was breezy, easy to read and highlighted how influential the Fair was. The fact that many of us had not heard of Chicagoan Jeannette Picard and her place in aviation history was a little shocking. Some members brought in memorabilia they had inherited so it was a treat to see pictures of the beautiful buildings that Joseph Urban designed in color and imagine how amazing they must have seen to visitors.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book managed to weave the topics of flight, the rise of fascism, and the 1933 World's Fair pretty well. I wasn't sure how well that would work. This is the second book on the Chicago World's Fair I've read within the past year. The other was William Elliott Hazelgrove's book on the same fair and the rise and fall of Al Capone. Although I also enjoyed that book, I think this one is slightly stronger.

I felt the author got a little bit overly romantic in the epilogue about wishing us back to a time when we glorified flight and space travel. Although he rightly makes a case that this used to be more of a wider societal pursuit and not just the hobby of a few arrogant billionaires, I think we're at a point in which we have to address myriad infrastructure failings, among many other issues in this country before many of us can get excited about space exploration again. Still, it's hard to hold that against an otherwise good book.

[MICHAEL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a little deep dive history geek stuff and I chose it as the most recent edition to my readings on the great books about Chicago (my home) and the events that represent it. It held up well in that light, but also offered, a useful history of those pre-WWII years and the rise of fascism in a way that is fascinating in how the geopolitics impacted industries and the individuals who lead them. Might offer some insights into what we are all watching play out in our world of politics and business today.

[Alan Gornik · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Broken Icarus' was great. I truly enjoyed reading this book, both for the extremely interesting content plus Hanna's engaging writing style. I am a Chicago history buff with a special interest in the 1933/4 Fair, so this really hit the mark for me. Thanks for your excellent scholarship on this important event in Chicago's history.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other reviewers have pointed out the intrinsic interest of the book and the many threads it weaves together: four stars for that! Withholding the fifth, as it is not particularly well-written, and the amount of clichéd language distracts from the achievement.

[Lew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read; I learned a lot.
The author writes well; yet it felt sluggish at times. Still, I enjoyed it.
If you are interested in the early days of human flight in balloons this covers the subject.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wealth of information about key players in aviation who appeared at, or were tangential to, the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago.
There is also quite a bit of information about the fair itself.
The book also reveals other fun bits of trivia.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting account that looks at the conjunction of the Century of Progress World's Fair of 1933-1934, fascism in the form of Italo Balbo, and advances in aviation by the likes of Hugo Eckener of zeppelin fame, Balbo's transcontinental flying exploits and the work of the PIccards.

[Kathy Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of the early days of aviation and the rise of fascism.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written book about the three topics in the title. Each section was well developed an interesting but they did not come together into a larger whole.

[Richard Parian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and informative read that is written in a style that makes it enjoyable. Unlike some historical books that literally put me to sleep this book is written like a novel.

[Paula Schumm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this history of flight. The two Chicago Worlds Fairs, the World Wars, and the celebrities of aviation are fascinating. Recommended.

[Michael Hassel Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Icarus by David Hanna I highly recommend this book for the detail and story telling of the early 1930’s and America’s place in the world prior to WW II. Mr. Hanna tells the story of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair through the stories of the development of aviation. The Fair captured the public’s interest as much as the romantic figures associated with it: Italy’s internationally renowned chief of aeronautics, Italo Balbo; German Zeppelin designer and captain, Doctor Hugo Eckener; and the husband-and-wife aeronaut team of Swiss-born Jean Piccard and Chicago-born Jeannette Ridlon Piccard. Aviation was new and the world including America were captivated by how far, high and fast one would be able to travel in the future. However, the book also points out the dark side as well. The arrival of Italo Balbo and his 24 planes that flew from Europe to Chicago increased the number of planes that had made this trip from East to West across the Atlantic from five to twenty-nine. But they were feted not just by the Chicago officials but also the Italian American public in the mid-west who came in droves and gave them the fascist salute. The same occurred with the German Zeppelin designer with the Nazi salute. This was news to me about how strong the fascist nationalism was in America at this time. And the book is much more. Mr. Hanna fills out the story with so much interesting detail about the Fair, the 1st MLB All-Star game, the breaking of prohibition rules by the fair and even Sally Rands Fan Dance. After all it may have been the Depression but there was still some fun going on. Lastly, the photos in the book were excellent in giving a feel for the time, the Fair and the people. This is an excellent book to read.