The World's First Jet Airliner Kept Exploding in Mid-Air: de Havilland Comet

Britain beat America to the jet age by years, built the most advanced airliner anyone had ever seen, tested it rigorously — and discovered it had been testing a version of its own aircraft that didn't match what was actually in production. Two crashes, 56 dead, four years grounded. The investigation taught every manufacturer that followed exactly what not to do. Boeing sold over a thousand 707s. Britain built seventy-four Comets.