Aeronautical Timeline - IP 6s, 7s & 8s by Michele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf Reach for the Stars, Baby... & Give it some Gas en-us 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC 2025-11-02 04:22:43 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f680.png 1.7-2million years ago: humans learn to control fire. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647982 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647982 50,000 BCE - Cave Paintings in Indonesia MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647983 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647983 10,000 BCE - Pacific Islanders invent boats, navigate by landmarks & stars MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647985 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647985 5000 BCE - Egyptians invent scales; Europeans invent concrete MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647988 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647988 3500 BCE - Sailboats present enough in Egyptian life that they become motifs on vases MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647990 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647990 3000 BCE - China using silk thread to make fabric MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647991 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647991 800 BCE - Europeans invent iron scissors, saws, locks & keys MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647992 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647992 500 BCE - China using crossbows, Persia builds highways & implements passports, Greece invents a railway MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647993 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647993 10 CE - China invents magnetic compass MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647995 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647995 100 CE - China invents map grids, assisting land and water navigation (they'd add latitude & longitude to their grids a century later) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647997 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647997 190 CE - China invents the first calculator (the abacus) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647998 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385647998 500 CE - China invents brandy wine and suspension bridges MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648000 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648000 630 - Arabia is using pigeon mail MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648002 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648002 636 CE - Book of Sui is published in China, which contains accounts of manned flight via kites (men were flown from a tower as punishment) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648003 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648003 673 CE - Byzantines invent chemical warfare, via "Greek Fire," an incendiary material which burns on water. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648004 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648004 850 - Persians invent and use the astrolabe as a portable timepiece MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648006 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648006 1096 CE - The Crusades (200 year war between Christians & Muslims, which drove trade & military invention especially) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648007 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648007 1000 CE - Europeans are ironing clothes; Arabians are cashing checks; Spanish Moors are cauterizing wounds; Chinese ppl are lighting matches, wielding portable flamethrowers and brushing their teeth with toothpaste; Byzantines are launching grenades and eating pizza. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648008 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648008 1241 - Mongol victory at te Battle of Legnica in Poland MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648009 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648009 1250 - Monk Roger Bacon publishes "Secrets of Art and Nature," in which he theorizes, “(A flying) machine must be a large hollow globe of copper or other suitable metal, wrought extremely thin, in order to have it light as possible. It must then be filled with ethereal air or liquid fire and launched from some elevated point into the atmosphere, where it will float like a vessel on the water”. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648010 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648010 1266 - Venetian explorer/trader Marco Polo starts exploring China MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648011 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648011 1454 - Moveable Type invented in Germany, making books and pamphlets more available/affordable; greater access to books increases literacy; increased literacy supports greater education, innovation and collaboration MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648012 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648012 1450s - Portugal/Europe starts trafficking people from Africa to Europe, expanding trade of enslaved people. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648013 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648013 1492 - Spain/Europe land in the Americas, colonization of the New World begins MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648014 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648014 1500 CE - Germany invents the watch MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648015 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648015 1539 - Coffee arrives in Europe via the Ottoman Empire; tea arrives twenty years later via Arab & Venetian traders. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648017 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648017 1569 - Dutch introduce Mercator Projection, offering a globe as more factual alternative to flat maps MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648018 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648018 1588 - English navy defeats the Spanish Armada, gaining control of the world's seas -- enabling them to extend their colonial empire MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648022 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648022 1595 - Italy's Galileo Galili develops and improves a safer military compass MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648027 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648027 1608 CE - Dutch invent the telescope MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648028 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648028 1610 - Galileo publishes The Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius), on his telescope discoveries about moons, planets & stars MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648030 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648030 1630s - Galileo publishes Discorsi, in which he explains the mathematical science behind gravity, velocity and resistance of falling objects MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648031 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648031 1643 CE - Italy invents the barometer to measure air pressure MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648034 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648034 1680 - Giovanni Alphonso Borelli publishes Animalium, in which he puts to rest the idea that humans can power flight by flapping wing-shaped contraptions (our anatomy doesn't work that way) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648036 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648036 1752 - Ben Franklin develops a lightning conductor in the American colonies MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648037 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648037 1764 - Scotland develops the first steam-condensing engine MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648039 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648039 1766 - Hydrogen, accidentally discovered in 1672, is identified as an element and is studied in-depth, particularly for its low density. MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648042 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648042 1776 - American Declaration of Independence from Britain & onset of the American Revolution MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648044 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648044 1792 - France is at war with Austria MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648046 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648046 1830 - France invents the sewing machine MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648050 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648050 1835 - England develops the propeller MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648054 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648054 1861 - USA - The Civil War begins MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648056 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648056 1911 - Italo-Turkish War begins MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648057 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648057 1912 - Italo-Turkish War ends MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648059 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648059 1914 - World War I begins MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648060 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648060 1918 - World War 1 ends MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648061 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648061 1939 - World War II begins MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648062 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648062 1945 - World War II ends MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648063 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648063 1950 - Korean War begins MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648064 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648064 1953 - Korean War ends MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648065 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648065 2000 CE MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648066 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648066 9,000 BCE - Early humans depict kite flying in cave paintings MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648069 Even older than the cave paintings in Lascaux, France, these ancient cave paintings in Indonesia depict a human figure flying a tethered diamond-shaped panel-- a kite!]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648069 3372 BCE - First Date on the Mayan Calendar MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648070 The Mayan Calendar was created in PreColumbian Mesoamerica by civilizations that actually predated Mayans, using data and time cycles based on observation of the stars and planets, including eclipses of the sun and moon.

https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-mayan-calendar]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648070 ~1700 BCE - Daedalus & Icarus Attempt Flight MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648072 Daedalus, a gifted Greek inventor, designed and built wings out of wood, metal, beeswax and eagle feathers for his son and himself, intending to fly to freedom.

http://www.auburn.edu/allynbaconanthology/documents/Icarus%20and%20Daedalus.pdf

https://in01001403.schoolwires.net/cms/lib/IN01001403/Centricity/Domain/532/Flight%20of%20Icarus.pdf]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648072 1500 BCE - King Kai Kawus of Persia supposedly achieves lift by attaching eagles to his throne MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648074 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648074 400 BCE - Ancient Chinese Kites MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648075 A philosopher named Mozi recorded stories of wooden, bird-shaped kites used in his lifetime; these kites may have been in use even earlier. These kites were used recreationally, but also for religious and scientific reasons.

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/kites.htm

]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648075 400 BCE - Greek engineer Archytas builds his "Peristera," a mechanical bird MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648076 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648076 220 BCE - Kongming Lanterns/ Sky Lanterns introduced in China MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648077 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648077 62 CE - Heron of Alexandria's Aeolipile MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648078 This invention wasn't a pursuit of flight per se, however, it was an early example of manipulation of air, via heat or steam, to generate movement

https://www.britannica.com/technology/aeolipile]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648078 875 CE - Abbas Ibn Firnas's Semi-Successful at Flight MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648079 This Muslim inventor from Spain made his famous "flight" after building an actually successful glider that could glide while carrying a human adult. While this was technically a glide rather than a flight, this was the first successful example of such an endeavor-- though it also helped him realize that he needed to work on developing safe landings, as well as safe transit (he hurt himself badly on the landing). 

https://ilmfeed.com/the-worlds-first-aviator-abbas-ibn-firnas/]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648079 1470 - Oldest Known Image of a Parachute Design MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648080 This sketch, from an anonymous inventor in Italy, predated Leonardo Da Vinci's famous parachute sketches in his Codex Atlanticus, which was published in 1485.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute#Middle_Ages

]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648080 ~1480 - Leonardo da Vinci Ornithopter MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648081 The famous Italian polymath & inventor designed a flying machine based on the flight mechanisms of bats and birds. He was not the first to do so (Eilmer of Malmesbury and Abbas Ibn Firnas designed fairly successful winged gliders before him), but he was the most famous, and among the first to design a  model intended to propel as well as glide. Unfortunately, he would not live to actually build and try this design-- others would take his ideas and, ahem, fly with them years later.


http://www.leonardo-da-vinci.net/ornithopter/

]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648081 1595 - Fausto Veranzio's parachute design ("Flying Man") MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648082 Based on Da Vinci's designs, Veranzio's design used fabric stretched over a lightweight wooden frame, attached by cording to a body harness.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648082 1783 - LeNormand's Parachute Jump from the Montelier observatory MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648083 His design used a 14-foot rigid frame, and he hoped it would help people escape from burning buildings safely.

In the audience that day was Joseph Mongolfier, who was very impressed and inspired.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648083 1783 - Montgolfier Brothers launch their Hot Air Balloon MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648084 Theirs was the first practical hot air balloon design, and the first to carry passengers without disaster. The  balloon they first shared with the public did not carry passengers; it used a silk balloon lined with paper, 10 meters in diameter. When that was successful, they made some upgrades: their first passenger-bearing balloon was made of even lighter taffeta, coated with fire-resistant varnish. But just to be safe, their first experimental passengers weren't prisoners, as the king had suggested, but farm animals: a duck, a sheep, and a rooster. The king and his queen, Marie Antoinette, were in attendance and quite impressed.

Knowing that the balloon was safe enough to do so, they were ready to try it with human passengers - they sent a science teacher aloft on a tethered hot air balloon that fall. The teacher was aloft for about 4 minutes, taking notes all the while.

Finally, the brothers were ready to try an *un*tethered flight with human passengers. In November of that year, two military officers boarded another balloon for the first untethered, free ascent in a hot air balloon in human history. They traveled for 25 minutes, over a distance of about 5.5 miles, making observations of the towns and cities below. Benjamin Franklin attended the launch and was impressed-- he wrote, "We observed it lift off in the most majestic manner. When it reached around 250 feet [76 m] in altitude, the intrepid voyagers lowered their hats to salute the spectators. We could not help feeling a certain mixture of awe and admiration."]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648084 1785 - Hot Air Balloon Disaster in Tullamore, Ireland MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648089 Hot Air Balloons utilize fire to heat the air within-- unfortunately, if the balloon lands improperly, and the balloon catches fire, anything in contact with the balloon may also catch fire. In this case, the crashed balloon caused a fire that destroyed 100 homes in Tullamore, Ireland.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648089 1784 Jeanne-Pierre Blanchard adds propulsion & steering to his hot air balloon design MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648092 Blanchard added sails to add some degree of propulsion and steering to his hot air balloons, using a hand-cranked propeller and a tail rudder. This created the first example of manned flight with propulsion and steering unreliant on a ground-based handler.

Blanchard would experiment with various flaps, sails and tails on his balloon designs for the remainder of his life.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648092 1785 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard improves the parachute MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648093 Taking notes from LeNormand's parachute design, Blanchard designed a parachute of folded silk with no rigid frame-- it could be kept in a hot air balloon's basket for emergency use. He would demonstrate his parachute design by leaping from his hot air balloon, deploying his chute, and landing safely on the ground some time later.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648093 1793 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard conducts the first manned flight in America MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648095 George Washington himself watched the launch, having provided Blanchard a passport so that he would be safe and welcome wherever he happened to land-- which turned out to be near a forest in Gloucester, New Jersey. Once there, Blanchard had to win the trust of the locals with wine he'd brought with him in order to get them to help him pack up the balloon, sign a document to prove where he'd landed, and to get back to Philadelphia.

http://stratocat.com.ar/artics/blanchard-e.htm]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648095 1794 - French Aerostatic Corps established for military use of Hot Air Balloons MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648097 Balloons gave the French an incredible advantage when it came to observation and intelligence. The corps members would fly up in tethered balloons, beyond the range of the weapons of the day, and relay information to the ground via cables.

The corps discovered, however, that producing hydrogen in the field was difficult if not impossible, so the balloons were soon considered impractical for military use and the corps was disbanded after only 5 years.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648097 1851 - William Bland designs (though does not build) a functional airship MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648098 This was an elongated balloon with a steam engine driving twin propellers suspended underneath. The lift of the balloon was estimated as 5 tons and the car with the fuel as weighing 3.5 tons, giving a payload of 1.5 tons. Bland believed that the machine could be driven at 80 km/h (50 mph) and could fly from Sydney to London in less than a week.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648098 1852 - Henri Giffard successfully engineers, builds, & flies an engine-powered airship MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648099 Henri Giffard became the first person to make an engine-powered flight when he flew 27 km (17 mi) in a steam-powered airship. Airships would develop considerably over the next two decades.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648099 1861 - Union Army Balloon Corps MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648101 The Union Army recognized what the French had re: Hot Air Balloons & their use in military surveillance-- and they also recognized the hardships France had faced re: getting enough hydrogen to military sites.

One of the men leading the Union's Balloon Corps, Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, was an aeronaut, scientist and inventor-- he himself designed the balloons, from their skins to their flame-retardant, leak-resistant varnish. He also was able to avoid the issues experienced by the French aeronauts by engineering field-suitable hydrogen generators that could operate in the field, creating sufficient hydrogen for all their balloon operations.

Professor Lowe's successors in the military had neither the expertise nor the drive to maintain the Balloon Corps, and the Corps was retired shortly after Lowe left the military.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648101 1863 - Solomon Andrews develops and flies his "Aereon" airship MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648102 Andrews' airship design featured three cigar-shaped barrels, a rudder and a gondola. Andrew's airship had three 80-foot cigar-shaped balloons, with a rudder and gondola. Buoyancy was controlled by jettisoning sand ballast or releasing hydrogen lift gas, and used lift as propulsion, with no further energy required.

He would go on to develop a lemon-shaped airship, the "Aereon 2", which used a system of lines and pulleys to compress or expand the flight gases, creating a cycle of negative and positive buoyancy. This in turn manipulated airflow over the body of the balloon, creating propulsion.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648102 1861-2 - Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin visits the Union Army Balloon Corps MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648104 Serving as a visiting military observer during the American Civil War, Zeppelin spends time with Thaddeus Lowe and learns a great deal about his balloon engineering. 

He later returned to Germany convinced that airships were the future of human flight. 

He would retire from the German military early, at the age of 52 and turn his full attention to designing and building airships.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648104 1884 - La France MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648106 Collaborating with Charles Renard, Arthur Constantin Krebs piloted the first fully-controlled free flight with the La France, a non-rigid dirigible employed by the French army. The 170-foot (52 m) long, 66,000-cubic-foot (1,900 m3) airship, electric-powered with a 435 kg (959 lb) zinc-chlorine flow battery completed a flight that covered 8 km (5.0 mi) in 23 minutes.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648106 1892 - France regularly using weather balloons to collect technical data MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648107 Devices aboard measured barometric pressure, temperature and humidity but had to be retrieved in order to collect the data. These large balloons inflated with gas and remained open at the bottom like a hot-air balloon. When the temperature cooled in the evening, the gasses cooled and then the balloon deflated and descended. However, no control over the balloon descending back to Earth existed. Sometimes they would drift hundreds of miles, making data gathering difficult.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648107 1900 - Count Zeppelin launches his airship series MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648108 The start of a series of hydrogen-filled airship projects by Count Zeppelin: the LZ1 (1900; damaged during landing, lost investors); the LZ2(1906; both engines damaged, forced landing in the mountains, where it was destroyed by a storm); the LZ3 (1906; highly successful); the LZ4 (1908; also successful, until it caught fire during a 24-hour endurance trial for the German military).

After the first World War, Zeppelin was freed from military obligations and could design dirigibles with elegance and comfort in mind-- his crafts were a big part of what is now known as "The Golden Age of Dirigibles" that included comfortable, if expensive, international passenger flights as well as air mail delivery.

After the English R101 disaster, in which a huge hydrogen-filled airship crashed during its maiden voyage, killing 48 of the 54 people on board, Zeppelin shifted focus away from hydrogen-filled airships in favor of helium-filled designs.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648108 1911 - Italy uses powered flight in combat MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648111 An Italian pilot, Capitano Carlo Piazza, flew over Turkish lines on the world's first aerial reconnaissance mission, and on November 1, the first ever aerial bomb was dropped by Sottotenente Giulio Gavotti, on Turkish troops in Libya, from an early model of Etrich Taube aircraft. Italy won this war within a year’s time.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648111 1914 - Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick showcases "freefall" parachuting technique and free-release packed parachute/ invents the ripcord MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648113 Georgia Broadwick was a skilled aeronaut and parachuter at a time when the US military had only a small air fleet and no parachute experience whatsoever. 

Broadwick was brought in to demonstrate the use and value of parachutes, especially parachutes that could be folded and carried in a backpack. She demonstrated not just freefall parachuting, but use of a shortened, cut cord-- the rip cord-- and is the first person recorded to ever use such a technique.

Shortly after Broadwick's demonstration, the US Army began investing in parachutes and parachute training. Three years later, the US Army would christen the 82nd Airborne division, which specializes in parachute assault operations and was used heavily in World Wars 1 & 2.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648113 1916 - First use of incendiary ammunition to bring down a military dirigible MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648114 As dirigibles became more valuable in conflict for their stealthy observational use, it became clear that regular bullets couldn't bring them down-- they were filled with gases that were lighter than air and would leak very slowly-- a couple of holes didn't affect them profoundly.

New bullets were developed to ignite on contact; these incendiary bullets would ignite the dirigibles' hydrogen, causing them to burst into flame. ]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648114 1937 - The Hindenberg Disaster MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648116 Although the Zeppelin company had planned to shift its models to a helium-based lift after the British R101 disaster, and although they had initially designed the LZ 129 Hindenburg airship-- the longest, largest ship in its class- to be a helium-based ship, they ultimately redesigned it for hydrogen as a cost-cutting measure. 

On its final flight, the Hindenburg was delayed in its landing in Manchester, New Jersey due to thunderstorms; shortly after cables were finally dropped to the ground crew, the ship burst into flames and dropped to the ground about 40 seconds later. 

The direct cause of ignition remains debated-- from sabotage to gas cell failure to static from the storms, many theories continue to be set forth today.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648116 1944 - Japanese "Fu Go" Fire Balloons MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648119 These hydrogen balloons didn't carry people-- they carried 33lb bombs. The Japanese military used the jetstream over the Pacific Ocean to carry these balloons across to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. While these airborne weapons had a low kill-rate (only about 6 Americans died as a result of these, and most of these casualties occurred because the Americans touched them out of curiosity) (note: please do not pick up bombs you find lying around in the woods), they damaged to American farm and forestland.

Interestingly, whenever deaths or fear resulting from these balloons was reported, the US government immediately censored the story, to prevent news of any success reaching the Japanese military. Because of this censorship, actual figures of found balloons and resulting damage are inconsistent.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648119 1963 - US Hot Air Balloon Pilot Championships established MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648120 Hot Air Ballooning, freed from its military obligations, is now purely recreational-- and gatherings are beautiful.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648120 1963 - Domina Jalbert Parafoil becomes popular MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648121 For military or recreation, innovations in parachute design improve maneuverability and safety. Parasailing, Parachuting and gliding sports become popular as recreation throughout the United States and the world.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648121 2010 - South Korean Activists use balloons to communicate with North Korean citizens MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648122 The activists send rice, toiletries and other supplies- as well as anti-dictatorship messages- to their neighbors to the north. Unfortunately, this angers the Dictator in the North, and can result in retaliation. On several occasions, North Korean and South Korean forces have exchanged gunfire because of the balloons, though there have yet to be any casualties.]]> 2021-04-06 04:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1385648122 1865 - USA - Civil War Ends MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393122644 2021-04-07 19:37:28 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393122644 2020...? MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393156955 2021-04-07 19:47:46 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393156955 1752 - Ben Franklin uses a lightning conductor and a kite to demonstrate the relationship between lightning and electricity MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393184754 He didn't *discover* electricity, he discovered its relationship with lightning. And he did it from on the ground instead of from the top of a church spire because he was able to use a kite to reach the skies instead-- so much safer!

It's actually pretty fascinating--

read more here: https://www.fi.edu/benjamin-franklin/kite-key-experiment]]> 2021-04-07 19:56:01 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393184754 2001 - _Winged_Migration_ (Documentary) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393198974 Prior to the development of functional drone cinematography, Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats & Jacques Perrin filmed this documentary about birds and their migratory flights using a wide range of tools: ultralight motorized aircraft balloons, gliders, motorized parachutes, hot air balloons, trucks,  boats, a French Navy warship ...and a whole lot of birds they raised from hatchlings.

It's a really amazing piece of cinematography, especially considering the fact that it was done without any drone assistance.

The trailer is here, if you're interested:
https://youtu.be/w-GYI2-ET-c]]> 2021-04-07 20:00:17 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1393198974 1820s - Industrial Revolution Begins in Britain, spreads globally MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1552626103 2021-05-24 04:51:51 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1552626103 1583-1707 - England Possessions Overseas (Americas, Africa) MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1552631035 Active trade of enslaved people, great need for cross-atlantic travel]]> 2021-05-24 04:53:59 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1552631035 1707-1793 - "First" British Empire MsMichele https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1552637828 After warring with France and Spain, Britain expands its imperial realm to include Newfoundland, Acadia, Gibraltar & Menorca. Britain also claimed & colonized several regions in "British America" until the American revolts began; they lost their colonial hold during the American revolutionary war in 1776.]]> 2021-05-24 04:56:58 UTC https://padlet.com/MsMichele/f5zg0duhslu1lstf/wish/1552637828