Dr Keith Mc Loughlin is an historian of industry, politics and technology in Britain and the wider world. His current research project explores the impact of the Concorde supersonic aircraft on Bristol. His first book, The British Left and the Defence Economy, 1970-83, is forthcoming with Manchester University Press. A graduate of University College Dublin, he has published an article in Contemporary British History and in media outlets, including The Bristol Cable, The Conversation and the Western Morning News.
Fifty years ago, Concorde made its first test flight in Britain. This supersonic aircraft has attracted considerable public interest over the years. Learn about Concorde's troubled history, and Tony Benn's amusing intervention in a diplomatic argument concerning the spelling of the aircraft's name.