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August 2022

italia crash
Italian newspapers captured in vivid color the dramatic crash of the Italia, which was caught in a storm over the North Pole in 1928. Fourteen men, including several sent to rescue the crew, died in the disaster. American Heritage Archives.

Editor's Note: Mark Piesing is a freelance journalist and the author of N-4 DOWN: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia, from which he adapted this essay.

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