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Jan 1, 1485
Leonardo da Vinci - The Ornithopter
The Orinthopter was not really a plane, it was an idea, and it was never created. -
Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier- the First Hot Air Balloon
The two brothers made the first hot air baloon by using the smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag, the silk bag was attached to a basket and the hot air was lighter than regular air, so it flew. After the succesful flight, the brothers soon made the first manned flight. -
George Cayley Beginning
Cayley's main focus was to get a man to fly. He desinged gliders that movements of the body can control the steering of the flight. The first person to test one of his glider was a young boy that's name is unknown. -
George Cayley End
George Cayley found out how a man can fly under control. -
Otto Lilienthal
Lilienthal was a German engineer that studied aerodynamics and he worked on a glider that could fly a person and go long distances. After more than 2000 test flights, he crashed and died caused by a sudden, strong wind. -
Samuel P. Langley
Langley was an astronomer that realized that power was needed to make a man fly. He built a model plane with steam-powered engine. He flew it and it went 3/4 of a miles until it ran out of gas. Langley then got a 50000 grant to build a full sized aerodome (the name of the plane), but it crashed because it was to heavy. Langley was disappointed and gave up trying to fly. -
Octave Chanute
Chanute used knowledge he found from other aviation accomplishments to publish "Progress in Flying Machines". The Wright brothers used his book as a basis for much of their experiments. Chanute also kept in contact with the brothers. -
Orville and Wilbur Wright
The Wright brother where the first to fly, since it was Oriville's turn to test fly, he was credited with "the first man to fly". The Wright brothers used to own a bicycle company until they got intrested in flight. They made many gliders, but there most famous flight was the one in Kitty Hawk, NC. -
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was the first women to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross. Her final flight was when she tried to fly across the world, but she went missing and never been found. -
Bell X-1
The Bell X-1 was the first plane to travel faster than the speed of sound. The pilot was Chuck Yeager (age 88 now, Major General). -
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. After his flight, he landed in a field and the citizens that lived near thought he was a U.S spy (since of the Cold War). He died at the age of 34 because of a test-flight in a jet -
Apollo 11
The first man on the moon was Neil Armstrong, accompanied by Buzz Aldrin. The succesful mission was the end of the space race...U.S won.
