Use the arrows at the bottom of the interactive to scroll along the timeline and find events. Some events will display further information in a pop-up window when you click on them.
Greek mythology tells us the story of Icarus’ and his father Daedalus’ attempt to escape from Crete.They were being held captive by King Minos.
After Daedalus had built the Labyrinth, to keep the Minotaur from escaping, King Minos did not want his secret to be discovered so he held Daedalus and Icarus captive. Daedalus, having studied birds in flight, built two sets of wings for himself and Icarus. They were made of feathers and wax.
Before setting off from the island Daedalus warned Icarus that he was not to fly too close to the sun as the wax he used while building the wings would melt. But alas Icarus was so taken by flying that he forgot about his father’s warning and flew too close to the sun. His wings fell apart and he fell to his death. This is only one of the many stories or legends about people and their earliest efforts to fly.
Learn more about 'The story of Icarus and Daedalus
Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier, paper mill owners from Annonay in France, were the inventors of the first practical hot air balloon which they called a Montgolfiere. Their first public demonstration of a hot air balloon in flight took place on June 4, 1783, in Annonay, France.
Later that year on September 19, 1783, in Versailles, a Montgolfiere carrying a sheep, a rooster, and a duck flew for eight minutes in front of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the French court.
Learn more about Air Balloons
Finally the Montgolfier Brothers were ready and on October 15, 1783, Pilatre de Rozier a physician and Marquis d'Arlandes an army officer were the first human passengers on a Montgolfiere balloon to complete a free flight. The flight took place just outside Paris. They flew for about 25 minutes at about 3,000 feet (910 m) above Paris for a distance of about nine kilometres.
First Flight Across the English Channel
On January 7th 1785 Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a famous French inventor and balloonist, along with an American, Dr John Jeffries completed the first flight over the English Channel making them the world’s first international air travelers. The journey from England to France took about 2½ hours. Unlike the Mongolfier brothers Blanchard balloons were filled with hydrogen not hot air.
Blanchard in America
Blanchard went on to become the first person to complete balloon flights in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland. He also went on to complete the very first aerial flight in America on January 9th , 1793. This first journey was watched by a huge crowd which included President George Washington. On this maiden flight in the New World he carried with him the first piece of airmail - a passport presented to him by George Washington.
Learn more about about Jean-Pierre Blanchard
Wilbur and Orville Wright
On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright’s aircraft, became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. This historical first flight took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The first flight lasted only 12 seconds. At first, they could only fly in a straight line. But by 1905, they were staying in the air for over half an hour, or until their fuel ran out. Their 1905 aircraft called the Wright Flyer was the world's first practical airplane.
Find out more about Wilbur and Orville Wright
Alcock and Brown
British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown made the first non-stop Transatlantic flight in June 1919. They flew a modified World War I Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador to Clifden, Ireland.
Learn more about this historicflight by Alcock & Brown
Charles Lindbergh
On May 20–21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh, a former airmail pilot, became the first person to fly a solo nonstop Transatlantic flight from New York (Roosevelt Field) to Paris (Le Bourget Field), in the single-seater Spirit of St. Louis. He received a heroes welcome from over 100,000 after landing in France.
Click here to view a video clip on Charles Lindberg’s historical flight.
Hindenburg Disaster
Between the two world wars large passenger carrying rigid airships called zeppelins became very popular as a means of crossing the Atlantic. The Hindenburg was involved in one of the most famous disasters of all time.
On 6 May 1937, after completing a journey from Frankfurt in Germany to Lakehurst, New Jersey the Hindenburg caught fire, and within seconds, burst into flames, killing 35 of the 97 people on board and one member of the ground crew.
View some dramatic footage of the Hindenburg Disaster
Yuri Gagarin
On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space and the first to orbit the Earth in a spacecraft named Vostok 1. This ended the race between Russia and America to get the first man into space. In honour of being the first man in space he was awarded medals in many countries around the world.
View a video about the race to get the first man into space.
First Man on the Moon
The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969. On board were Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins , Ed 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon, while Collins orbited above. Armstrong saying the now very famous words - "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."
Concorde
Concorde was a supersonic passenger airliner which was able to fly across the Atlantic in less than half the time of other airliners. Concorde set many world air speed records, including the "Westbound Around The World" and "Eastbound Around the World". It made its first flight on March 2nd 1969.
Learn more about Concorde
First Space Shuttle Flight
On April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of human spaceflight, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. It orbited the Earth 36 times before landing in California.
Learn more about the Space Shuttle Columbia
SpaceShipOne is a spaceplane that completed the first privately funded manned reusable spaceflight on June 21, 2004. It was built and funded by Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen and aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. They intend to build an airport in the Mojave Desert from which wealthy people can book flights into space.
See a video of SpaceShipOne
Amelia Earhart
In 1932 Amelia Earhart wrote herself into the History books for the second time when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Four years earlier she had been the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane.
She set many other records during her short life. In 1937 (during her second attempt to circumnavigate the world by plane) she, her aircraft and her co-pilot disappeared over the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. She had become one of the most famous female pilots of all time.
Learn more about Amelia Earhart