The History of Rockets

By GEMM2
  • Gunpowder is Invented
    200

    Gunpowder is Invented

    In 200 B. C. the Chinese introduced gunpowder, then called black powder before the invention of guns, the primary ingredient in rockets.
  • Period: Jan 1, 1480 to Dec 31, 1489

    Leonardo Da Vinci Invents The Ornithopter

    Throughout the 1480s, Da Vinci had over 100 drawings illustrating his theories on flight. The Ornithopter was never built, but the modern-day helicopter is based on it.
  • Period: to

    Newton's Laws are Created

    Newton creates and writes his laws that explain the forces that affect a rocket.
  • First Hot Air Balloon Flight

    First Hot Air Balloon Flight

    Two French brothers, Joseph Michel and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier, were inventors of the first hot air balloon. The passengers on the first manned flight were Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent.
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    British Shoot Rockets against Fort McHenry

    The British use congreve rockets to open fire at the Americans in Fort McHenry. This inspires the verse "the rocket's red glare" in 'The Star Spangled Banner."
  • America's 1st Use of Military Rockets

    America's 1st Use of Military Rockets

    America uses military rockets for the first time in the Mexican-American War during the Siege of Veracruz.
  • Rockets Used in the Civil War

    Rockets Used in the Civil War

    Though use of war rockets had decreased, Confederate forces used old rockets to fire at the Union, though some were faulty.
  • First Man in Space

    First Man in Space

    Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space, making a 108 minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft.
  • First American in Space

    First American in Space

    Alan Shepard became the first American in space, only one month after Yuri Gagarin.
  • First Moon Landing

    First Moon Landing

    Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon which made astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr the first men on the moon.
  • First Space Shuttle

    First Space Shuttle

    The launch of the STS-1 was the first time a new space shuttle was launched on it's maiden voyage with a crew aboard. The astronauts aboard were John Young and Robert Crippen. They launched in Columbia exactly 20 years after Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
  • The Challenger Disaster

    The Challenger Disaster

    On this day, the first in Rocket History happend. The Challenger had a bad rubber sealent due to cold weather, which caused a leak in fuel which led to it's explosion 73 seconds after the launch. The entire crew died. This caused the space shuttle program to suspend for modifucations until 1988.
  • Period: to

    1st Crew to Go to ISS

    The first long-term crew to go up to the ISS stayed from November 2 of 2000 to March 18 of 2001.
  • Nasa's Spaceshuttle Program is Shut Down

    Nasa's Spaceshuttle Program is Shut Down

    The government shuts down Nasa's spaceshuttle program due to budget cuts.
  • Curiosity is Launched

    Curiosity is Launched

    The rover, Curiosity is launched to allow scientists to observe and better understand Mars and it's background.