The First Movie Shown On An Airplane Was An Adaptation Of A Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Novel

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the renowned Scottish author behind the world-famous Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1912, Doyle published "The Lost World," a science fiction novel about a land populated by dinosaurs in the modern day. This should not be confused with Michael Crichton's 1995 book "The Lost World." Though Crichton admits that his "The Lost World" is a direct reference to Doyle's, it's actually a sequel to "Jurassic Park," the novel which served as the basis for what NASA hails as the most scientifically accurate sci-fi movie ever made.

Doyle's story was also adapted into a film, and it has the distinct honor of being the first movie shown on an airplane. In the April 16, 1925 issue of Flight magazine, a short blurb discussed an experiment regarding an "aerial picture theatre." A Handley Page airplane took off from Croydon Aerodrome in London, equipped with a screen fitted to the cabin. The 12 passengers aboard the Paris-bound flight were treated to a showing of Doyle's "The Lost World" during the half-hour journey, which barely accounts for the film's nearly two-hour runtime. Even so, "The Lost World" holds the official Guinness World Record for "first inflight film" as a result of this event.

Today, when we think about how to pass the time during a plane ride, the first thing we think about is an in-flight movie. Our travel tech practically revolves around this idea. We have products designed to be the best way to use Bluetooth on a plane so that you can connect to in-flight entertainment more easily. If you'd rather bring your own entertainment, you can do that with useful travel gadgets that fit in your carry-on. From tablets to tablet holders and more, you have plenty of ways to enjoy your own media if you don't like what the airline is showing. It all started with that one-off experiment more than a century ago.

Of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wasn't necessarily responsible for putting a screen aboard a passenger plane back in 1925. If it hadn't been "The Lost World," Imperial Airways likely would have shown a different popular film from the year prior — perhaps 1924's highest-grossing film, "The Sea Hawk." As it stands, though, you can say a quiet word of gratitude to the dinosaurs next time a movie helps you through a monotonous flight.