History of Flight

First Rocket

428 BCE

Greek Engineer Archytas used steam to rotate a sphere.

Kites

400 BCE

Discovery of the Kite - People began to think of flying

First Hot Air Balloon to Carry Passengers

Nov 21, 1783

First Hot Air Ballon Flight to carry passengers. Hot Air Balloon designed by the French brothers Joseph Michel and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier.

First Glider Designed To Fly

1891

Otto Lilienthal, studied aerodynamics and worked to design a glider that would fly. He was the first person to design a glider that could fly a person and was able to fly long distances.

First Airplane

Dec 17, 1903

Orville and Wilbur Wright The "Flyer" lifted from level ground to the north of Big Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina.

First Solo Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean

1927

Charles Lindbergh became famous for making the first solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

German V-2 Rocket

1944

World's first long-range guided ballistic missile

First Super Sonic Flight

1947

U.S. Air Force Pilot Chuck Yeager flew faster than the speed of sound. Airplanes could now travel farther and faster than ever before, allowing even greater developments to be accomplished.