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Jan 1, 1232
Gunpowder Rocket
Chinese use gunpowder rockets to scare invaders at the Battle of Kaifung-fu. -
Sep 15, 1540
Step-rocket
Johann Schmidlap, firework maker, invents (what modern day engineers call) the step rocket. -
Galileo Observes Jupiter
Galileo viewed Jupiter and found that it has four sattelites, which was a major finding of his time. -
Newton's Three Laws of Motion Published
In the late 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton developed and published his Three Laws of Motion and the Universal Law of Gravitation. -
British Military Rockets
The British use shrapnel (case-shot) and incendiary rockets during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. -
Spin-rockets
William Hale invents and patents the spin-rocket. It is used in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. -
De la terre a la lune
Jules Verne writes his fictional novel De la terre a la lune, giving people the idea that space travel was indeed possible. -
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Russian schoolteacher Konstantin Tsiolkovsky writes many books and articles about rocketry and spaceflight. -
Goddard's Solid Fuel Rockets
Robert Goddard begins testing solid-fuel rocket models. -
A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes
Robert Goddard publishes his paper "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" in which he stated that rockets would function better in space. -
First Liquid Fueled Rocket Launched
Robert H. Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in a field in Auburn, Massachusetts. -
America Launches the Explorer 1
Shortly following Russia, America launches its' first artificial satellite, Explorer 1, into space to orbit the Earth. -
Space Shuttle Program Retired
The Space Shuttle Program (STS) was retired after more than 30 years of spaceflights -
Spacex Dragon Launch
Spacex launches their Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft. -
New Horizons Reaches Pluto
The New Horizons spacecraft flies by Pluto, taking lots of spectacular photos.
