How Airstream Became an American Icon

Welcome to Origin Story, a series that chronicles the lesser-known histories of designs that have shaped how we live.

The instantly recognizable aluminum Airstream trailer makes a statement: Road trips can be glamorous, too! Born in the backyard of California inventor Wally Byam in 1929, the Streamline Moderne–style trailer, with its signature rounded dome, has become an emblem of the open road and 20th-century style, so much so that Airstream motels, where you can spend the night in a refurbished trailer, have popped up in recent years everywhere from Joshua Tree to the Catskills. Maybe you’ve seen a classic Airstream cruising down the highway, but did you know the first version Byam tinkered with was made of plywood? Or that the "silver bullet" exterior has undergone only a few minor changes since the 1936 Clipper model rolled off the line? Read on for more about the road trip icon that might catch you by surprise.

1929

The trailer’s creation traces back to the founder’s attempt to solve a marital problem. While Byam was a camping enthusiast, his first wife, Marion, preferred to sleep indoors. In 1929, Byam took a Ford Model T chassis and built a tentlike contrivance upon it that would allow him to satiate his passion for the outdoors and his wife to sleep shielded from the elements. Thus, the first Airstream trailer was born. (The couple eventually divorced.) Later on, Byam’s second wife, Stella, took issue with his habit of working and listening to the radio all night. In 1957, Airstream rolled out a portioned model that let couples and families have separate spaces. A true romantic, Byam had the Airstream, dubbed Stella’s Dream Trailer, clad in gold anodized aluminum.