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99% Invisible
99% Invisible

If Mosquito Hawks Can Fly

July 14, 2026 • 41m

Summary

⏱️ 13 min read

Overview

This episode of Family Lore investigates the story of Charles Frederick Page, a Black inventor born into slavery in Louisiana in 1864, who reportedly invented and patented an airship before the Wright Brothers' famous flight. The episode explores his grandson Joseph Page's memories, historian Michael Wynn's research discoveries, and modern efforts to rebuild and validate Page's lost invention. It reveals a compelling story about innovation, systemic racism, and historical erasure in American invention history.

Joseph Page's Memories of Growing Up in Jim Crow Louisiana

Joseph Page, 87-year-old Air Force veteran and grandson of Charles Frederick Page, recalls growing up in 1950s Louisiana under brutal segregation. Despite living as neighbors with white families in the country, they couldn't acknowledge each other in town. His family passed down stories of his grandfather's revolutionary airship invention, but when Joseph shared these stories at school, other children mocked him, insisting the Wright Brothers were first. The painful experience of having his family history dismissed taught Joseph early lessons about discrimination and the need to work twice as hard as white people.

  • Joseph Page is 87 years old, Air Force veteran, and grandson of inventor Charles Frederick Page
  • Joseph grew up in 1950s Louisiana under Jim Crow segregation, riding to the back of the bus and attending segregated schools
  • White neighbors who played with Joseph in the country had to pretend not to know him in Alexandria
  • Joseph's family always told stories about Charles Page inventing the first airship
  • Other school children laughed at Joseph when he shared his grandfather's story, insisting the Wright Brothers built the first airplane
  • Joseph's grandfather was born into slavery in 1864, meaning slavery was only one generation removed
" I didn't quite understand it as a child. In my mind, I knew it was not right as to why we could be friends and hang out together in the country when nobody was around. But we could not associate with each other when we were in Alexandria. "
" To underscore the point of slavery was not that long ago. Think about that. "

Charles Frederick Page: Renaissance Man Born Into Slavery

Charles Frederick Page was born into slavery in 1864 in Louisiana and received no formal education, yet taught himself to read, write, and do mathematics. He became a skilled timberman, cobbler, botanical farmer, and engineer who could look at a tree and calculate the exact lumber yield. He established the first cemetery for the Black community in Pineville and had visions for diversified farming. His engineering mind was so meticulous that building a simple chicken coop required detailed designs and measurements, frustrating his wife who just wanted something functional.

  • Charles Page was born into slavery in 1864 and received no formal education but taught himself to read, write, and arithmetic
  • He was a skilled timberman who could look at a tree and determine how many feet of lumber it would yield
  • Charles established the Lincoln Cemetery, the first cemetery for the Black community in Pineville
  • He had an engineer's mind and would meticulously design even simple structures like chicken coops with rulers and pencils
  • In 1911, Charles helped lead a community meeting to prevent race riots after a Black man murdered a white man
" He would have been a great engineer. What my grandmother used to complain about when she would tell my grandfather, she needed to do chicken coop, you need to build her a new chicken coop. He would get out the ruler and a pencil and paper and he would design it and he would do all this stuff. All I need is a simple chicken coop. "
" He always thought people were more important than airships. "

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