Dr. Sanford Moss almost singlehandedly gave GE its critical toehold into the new, fast-evolving aviation industry when he led the design of the first practical “turbosupercharger,” which allowed piston-powered airplanes to soar at record heights.

April 12, 1937, is a day in aviation history that changed the world forever. It was also a defining moment for Frank Whittle, an aviation engineer and visionary whose determination outlasted his early failures.

From Light Bulbs to Jet Engines describes our technology journey from Thomas Edison’s first electrical devices to GE steam turbines and turbosuperchargers to America’s first jet engine. The 20th century’s two global wars created aviation challenges for GE to tackle and ultimately shaped GE Aviation into the global thriving business it is today.