Famous Firsts in Flight

First Kite

400

First Flight Designs

Mar 1, 1480

Leonardo da Vinci first begins to draw designs for flying machines.

First Hot Air Balloon

Mar 1, 1783

Brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier invent the first hot air balloon.

First Glider

Mar 1, 1849

George Cayley builds the first glider to successfully carry a person in flight.

First Airplane

Mar 1, 1903

Orville Wright becomes the first person to successfully fly an engine-powered airplane.

First Helicopter

Mar 1, 1907

Paul Cornu flies the first helicopter.

First Female Pilot

Mar 1, 1908

Therese Peltier makes the first solo airplane flight by a woman.

First African-American Pilot

Mar 1, 1921

Bessie Coleman becomes the first African-American to earn a pilot's license.

First Transatlantic Flight

Mar 1, 1927

Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic.

First Female Transatlantic Flight

Mar 1, 1932

Amelia Earhart is the first woman to cross the Atlantic on a non-stop solo flight.

First Human in Space

Mar 1, 1961

Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to fly into space.

First Woman in Space

Mar 1, 1963

Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to fly into space.

First Moon Landing

Mar 1, 1969

Apollo 11 makes the first moon landing.

First Space Station

Mar 1, 1971

Salyut 1, the world's first space station, is launched into orbit.

First Canadian in Space

Mar 1, 1984

Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space.

First Female NASA Commander

Mar 1, 1999

Eileen Collins is the first woman to be commander of a NASA Space Shuttle mission.

Largest Aircraft

Mar 1, 2005

Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft, capable of carrying up to 853 passengers, completes its first flight.

Largest Aircraft

Mar 1, 2005

Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft, capable of carrying up to 853 passengers, completes its first flight.