The Concorde is a type of commercial airliner that flies through the skies well past the sound barrier. The plane is so fast that, on a cross-country trip from New York to California, it can actually land on the west coast before it took off from the east - according to the time zone differences, obviously.

Although the Concorde is a commonplace and popular aircraft today, there's a story behind this airliner, showcasing a few struggles along the way. This story of officially begins around 1956. In November of that year, the Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee was developed and funded in order to study supersonic air travel, and namely build an airliner that could break speed records.

For the next three years, the top engineers in the field worked to develop various plans and test theories, and were ultimately set on 2 separate designs for an airplane. This was a merger between the British Minister of Aviation and the French; the two countries would split the cost. This was a hard-fought battle, and it took the Sud Aviation of France and the British Aircraft Corporation a long time to reach an agreement in 1961.

All in all, the task of building the aircraft was handed out to four separate companies. BAC of Britain and Aerospatiale of France would build the frame, and SNECMA and Rolls Royce were at work on the engines. The USA was even in on the action as key suppliers.

In 1964, the French-named Concorde was designed and nearly built. The prototype would be finished in 1966. However, the first “Concorde” to take flight wasn't Britain's or France's design, but the USSR's. They launched their first Concorde in 1968, as the aforementioned countries were still testing theirs. France's first model, the Concorde 001, took flight in 1969, with Britain's soon to follow. Both of these planes were showcased in France that year at the Paris Air Show.

On October 1, 1969, the French took their Concorde beyond the Mach 1 mark, and the first pre-production model popped up in England in September of 1971. The British went touring with their Concorde that year, taking it to a dozen different countries. Britain ordered five and Air France took four, but other countries weren't crazy about the pre-production model due to vigorous redesigning going on.

In 1973, the Concorde 201 reached a speed of Mach 1.57 in France, and in 1974 the French tested their Concorde against a 747 in a race from Boston to Paris and back again. The Concorde finished first, and it looked as if the airliner would take off in popularity, but cost overruns again set back full production.

Funding was granted, and in 1975, the Concorde 204 was introduced and started carrying passengers. By 1977, Concorde had carried 45,000 passengers, and on the 50th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis run, the Concorde flew the flight in 30 hours less than Lindbergh.

By the 1980s, the Concorde was one of the most popular airliners in both France and Britain, and a few other countries were also proud owners of the record-breaking aircraft. Concorde wowed the entire world by flying from New York to London in only 2 hours and 56 minutes, the fastest time ever, and it still continues to wow people today. All but one horrific crash in 2000, killing 109 passengers, the Concorde has been the safest passenger jet ever designed.