The Concorde, a joint Anglo-French supersonic airliner, entered commercial service on January 21, 1976, operating transatlantic flights between London/Paris and New York. Capable of flying at speeds of over Mach 2, the Concorde could cross the Atlantic in under 3.5 hours, drastically reducing travel time. This technological marvel represented a significant achievement in aviation history, although its operational costs and environmental concerns ultimately limited its longevity.

Concorde embodied the apex and the hubris of speed culture; its retirement in 2003 after the 2000 crash inspired elegies in journalism and poetry mourning the end of the promise that technology would keep accelerating; it became a symbol of beautiful futility in post-millennial writing.