Due to structural design flaws, two of the British built Comets fell out of the sky within weeks of each other. A catastrophe for the British was a golden opportunity for the Americans. Boeing quickly displaced de Havilland as the industry leader. The Concorde was an attempt to reclaim what had been lost. Yet, the allure of Concorde was more poetic than practical.
Technology needs to do more than inspire.
It needs to make money. Men on the moon and supersonic travel quickly lost appeal once the costs overwhelmed the awe. In actuality, the most radical innovation of 1969 was not the Concorde, but the Boeing 747. This bloated bird revolutionised air travel. In the end, only 20 Concorde were built and none were ever sold.