-
In Italy during the Renaissance, Leonardo de Vinci made the first design of flying machines by modeling after the wings of a bird.
-
A French locksmith named Besnier tried to fly with wings modeled after webbed duck feet, he survived this attempt.
-
Jacques Alexandre Cesar Charles makes the first solo flight in a hot-air balloon. He flew over 36 kilometers at an altitude of 3,500 meters.
-
First-ever air crossing of the English Channel. The trip was completed in a hydrogen balloon and took 2 1/2 hours.
-
Sir George Cayley builds and flies the world's first successful model glider.
-
Wilbur Wright writes the Smithsonian Institute and affirms his belief that human flight was possible.
-
The Wright Brothers make their first glider flight.
-
First helicopter flown by Paul Cornu, a French inventor. The flight lasted only 20 seconds and hovered just 1 foot (30 cm) above the ground.
-
The Wright Company becomes incorporated with a capitalization of $1,000,000
-
Wilbur Wright makes his last flight as a pilot in the United States. He flew at Simm's Station in Dayton, Ohio.
-
Eugene Ely makes the first successful carrier takeoff from the the USS Birmingham, in Norfolk, Virginia.
-
September 1911 - The first air mail in the U.S. is carried by Eagle Ovington from Nassua Boulevard Aerodrome, New York to Mineola, New York.
-
Two-way radio contact accomplished between pilot and ground control.
-
1919 - First sustained international commercial passenger air service initiated between Paris and Brussels.
-
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to cross the Atlantic.
-
December 17, 1935 - The DC-3, the first successful passenger airliner, takes off for the first time from Santa Monica, California.
-
President Truman signs a bill authorizing appropriation of $50,000 to establish a National Air Museum in the Smithsonian Institution.
-
American Airlines flies 10,000,000 passenger-miles today, setting a new single-day mileage record for all airlines.
-
Voyager: first nonstop flight around the world without refueling (Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan).
-
Commercial Space Bill Approved By Senate – The commercial space bill is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate.