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VOICE ONE:
This is Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember withEXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about an unusualman who traveled alone around the world. He was an inventor and afilmmaker. He wrote a best-selling book. He was a poet, an artistand an airplane pilot. His name was Robert Edison Fulton, Junior. Hewas named for two of America’s most famous inventors, Robert Fultonand Thomas Edison. We begin his story at a dinner party in London,England in nineteen thirty-two.
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VOICE ONE:
Robert Edison Fulton, Junior was twenty-four years old. He hadgraduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hehad recently completed advanced studies in building design at theUniversity of Vienna in Austria. He was on his way back to theUnited States when he stopped to visit friends in London. At adinner party at his friends’ house, a young woman asked him if hewould be sailing home soon.
He answered: “No, I am going around the world on a motorcycle.”Robert Fulton would say for the rest of his life that he had no ideawhy he said such a thing.
Another man at the party said such a trip would be a great idea.And, he said he owned the Douglas Motor Works Company. He offeredRobert Fulton a new Douglas motorcycle to use on his trip.
Many years later, Mister Fulton said this dinner party was thebeginning of an eighteen-month adventure. His trip would extend overmore than forty thousand kilometers and include twenty-twocountries.
VOICE TWO:
Within a few days of the dinner party, Robert Fulton began hispreparations. He started collecting maps of the different countrieshe might visit. In nineteen thirty-two, maps of some countries weredifficult to find.
The Douglas company added special equipment to a new motorcycle.This included a second gasoline tank. Mister Fulton would learn thathe could ride about five hundred sixty kilometers without needingmore fuel.
Two common automobile tires were fitted to the motorcycle. Thiswould make it easier to find new tires or repair the two he had. Andthe company made a special box to hold tools and a motion picturecamera and film. Robert Fulton decided to make a movie about histrip.
VOICE ONE:
A few weeks later, Robert Fulton found himself riding his newmotorcycle out of London. He rode to the port of Dover. He crossedthe English Channel on a ship. Robert Fulton said the first part ofthe trip was not exciting. He had traveled in much of Europe before.
The only new thing was the motorcycle. He quickly rode throughFrance, Germany and Austria. He also passed through Yugoslavia,Bulgaria and Greece. Each time, it took several hours to getpermission to cross the border. Often, border police thought he mustbe insane. Some said they would permit him to cross, but not hismotorcycle. But each time, Mister Fulton was able to talk his wayacross the border.
VOICE TWO:
Robert Fulton spoke English, French and German. Soon, theselanguages did not help him. But he always seemed to be able tocommunicate with almost everyone. He was a nice-looking, friendlyyoung man. People liked him almost immediately. Many people offeredhim help when they learned what he was trying to do. Police in smalltowns often let him sleep in the town jail at night.
In time, he reached Damascus, Syria. His next stop would beBaghdad, Iraq. He quickly learned he would have to cross almosteight hundred kilometers of the great Syrian Desert. Officials toldhim it would be impossible with a motorcycle. Other people said itcould be done.
Robert Fulton decided to find out for himself. He loaded themotorcycle with extra cans of fuel and water and began his tripacross the desert. Syrians called this desert “the Blue.” This wasbecause all you could see was the very blue sky and the very hotsun.
He rode sixteen kilometers on the road out of Damascus. Then hesaw a sign showing the way toward Baghdad. It was here that the roadended. In front of him was the great desert. Robert Fulton was alonefor most of the trip. He worried about his motorcycle. If the enginefailed, he could die of lack of water before anyone could find him.He could fall off and break a leg or arm. The severe heat could killhim. But the motorcycle did not fail him. He survived the fierceheat. He arrived safely in Baghdad.
VOICE ONE:
Robert Fulton successfully completed his trip. He traveledthrough what are now Afghanistan, India, Vietnam, China, Malaysiaand Japan. He crossed the Pacific Ocean on a ship, and arrived inSan Francisco. From there, he rode his motorcycle home to New YorkCity. He arrived one day before Christmas, nineteen thirty-three.
When he began his trip, Mister Fulton said he wanted to studybuildings and monuments because that is what he had studied inschool. He later wrote that he became much more interested in thepeople he met. He said race or religion did not make a difference.The people were almost always very friendly. He said many people insmall villages did not trust him because he was a stranger. Butalmost everyone tried to help him when they found out that he wasriding around the world.
In nineteen thirty-seven, Robert Fulton wrote a book about histrip. He called it “One Man Caravan.” It included many photographsof buildings he had seen. Some were very beautiful. They includedreligious buildings in Malaysia and old military forts in India.
But Robert Fulton liked the photographs of people’s faces best.The photos showed people in their native dress, working, playing andexamining his motorcycle.
“One Man Caravan” still sells well today. People can order itfrom bookstores. The movie he made of the trip is called “Twice Upona Caravan.” People can also order it from some bookstores.
VOICE TWO:
Robert Fulton would be considered an unusual man if this longtrip was all he did. It was a dangerous thing to do. Some expertssaid he was lucky to survive. But the trip was only a small part ofhis long and interesting life. Later, he became a professionalphotographer for Pan American World Airways. He taught himself to bea pilot.
During World War Two, he designed a machine used to trainmilitary aircraft crews to fire guns at enemy aircraft. Both theUnited States Army Air Corps and Navy bought many of these machines.
VOICE ONE:
Another invention earned Robert Fulton a special place inaviation history. He designed and built an airplane that was also acar. It flew like any other aircraft. But when it landed, the pilotcould take off the wings and propeller and drive it like any othercar. He called this invention the Airphibian.
In nineteen fifty, Robert Fulton flew his Airphibian to NationalAirport in Washington, D.C. Then he drove the car from the airportto the headquarters of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. Therehe was given the legal documents needed to produce the vehicle.
But it was not a success. The costs to develop the Airphibianwere too high. Now, the Smithsonian Institution owns the onlyremaining example of Mister Fulton’s unusual invention.
VOICE TWO:
Robert Fulton owned more thanseventy legal documents that protected his inventions. Among thesewas a special wheelchair that helped people enter passengerairplanes. He also invented the Skyhook, an air rescue system thatinvolved an airplane and a large helium balloon. The Skyhook was anemergency device designed to rescue people in areas that were hardto reach, such as spies in enemy territory. This device was used inthe spy movie “Thunderball” about British secret agent James Bond.
VOICE ONE:
Robert Edison Fulton, Junior died at his home in Newtown,Connecticut at the age of ninety-five on May seventh, twothousand-four. He did not own a copy of his flying car. He no longerhad many of the inventions he had made. However, he did own amotorcycle. It was the same special motorcycle made by the DouglasMotor Works so many years ago. He had had it rebuilt to look new.
Robert Fulton could never give up his Douglas motorcycle. It wasa part of him.
He once said the year and a half he spent traveling around theworld was the experience that changed his life. He said it gave himthe courage to try many things and succeed. It was an experiencethat began with a few simple words: “I am going around the world ona motorcycle.”
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced byMario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for anotherEXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.