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The first winged aircraft was made
Sir George Cayley, in England, made the first winged aircraft. He spent many years studying flight -
The first powered aircrafts
Samuel Langley made a steam-powered airdrome. It was unmanned, and it flew for about a half mile. -
The first gasoline-powered model
After continuing his studies, Mr. Langley came up with a gasoline-powered engine for his airdromes. -
The Wright Brothers' flights
Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful manned flights near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. -
The use of air craft carriers is thought up
Eugene Ely decided to try landing and taking off from a ship. He did both successfully, and it paved the way for future air craft carriers -
World War I brings about better airplanes
During WWI they needed better airplanes for fighting purposes. Many advances were made at this time, including faster and lighter planes -
Airmail is created
The United States Postal Service began using airplanes to deliver mail across the country. It was three days faster than carrying the mail by train. -
The first flights across the ocean began
The US Navy made some of the first flights across the Atlantic Ocean. Soon after that, passenger flights began -
Better planes and better engines
In 1925, new lightweight, air cooled engines were created. This made the airplanes run better and faster -
Charles Lindbergh flies across the ocean alone
Mr. Lindbergh made the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew from New York to Paris by himself. -
The first passenger planes are made
Boeing made the 247 plane. It could seat up to 10 people. -
The first radars are developed
When WWII broke out, engineers began developing better equipment to help with the war. They developed airplane radars that could detect airplanes flying, even far away -
The "area rule" is discovered
Pilots and engineers in California tested a theory called the area rule. Using it, they were able to make sleeker, faster airplanes without using bigger engines. -
The first larger passenger jets are made
Boeing came out with the 747. It was a huge jet that could seat many more than the previous 10 people. -
B-2 Bombers are developed in 1990's
During the 90's engineers invented planes using non-metal materials that couldn't be detected by radar. Shortly after that, the stealth planes were invented. The production of bigger and better airplanes continues today, and one can only dream what will come next!