A China Airlines flight survives a 30,000ft dive in 1985, though an Iberia flight suffers an all-fatal crash the same day. The Boeing 757 makes its maiden flight, Lufthansa lines up to be the first 737 customer, and more...
Space Shuttle Challenger makes her maiden spaceflight, a US Air Force C-5 crashes in Vietnam, the USS Akron airship crashes near New Jersey, and more...
Their role in being the ones out front who often end up being sacrificed for those standing behind them is the reason that they are indeed the pawns of the industry.